New mum flies box of dirt to Scotland from gran’s garden so baby’s first steps are ‘in Ireland’
A PATRIOTIC new mum flew soil from her gran’s back garden to the UK so her baby’s first steps were technically in Ireland.
Shauna Bellew filled a Tupperware box with dirt and dipped five-week-old daughter’s Eliza’s feet into it once she was born.
The 27-year-old and fiancé Sean Tuite, also 27, wanted the landmark moment to take place in Ireland and got the inspiration from an old advert.
“When I went back to Ireland to announce I was pregnant in August, I dug up some dirt from my granny’s garden,” Shauna, from Dublin, Ireland, said.
“On the way back, I was scared security would pull it out and think I was insane.
“There was an old Kerrygold advert when I was a teenager.
“And I always knew I wanted to do it when I had a baby because I knew deep down I’d leave Ireland one day and I’d love for Eliza’s first steps to be at home.
“We miss Ireland but we love it in Scotland.
“I thought dipping her feet in the soil was so nice and nostalgic.”
The celebrated 2009 Kerrygold’s ad, known as “The Sod”, features an Irish dad who takes soil back to Germany for the birth of his son and is described as a personal favourite on the butter brand’s website.
Shauna and Sean’s recreated the ad with baby Eliza dressed in a pink babygrow.
And the clip quickly went viral on TikTok, racking up more than four million views.
The nursery teacher says people from all over the world have said they’ll take inspiration from the video.
Shauna said: “I wanted to give other people the idea because there are a lot of Irish people are in Canada and Australia.
“People from all over the world including Mexico have said they’re going to do it.”
The couple moved to Motherwell, Scotland, from Dublin, Ireland, five years ago.
Shauna said: “The cost of living crisis in Ireland is obscene, we couldn’t afford to rent.
I thought dipping her feet in the soil was so nice and nostalgic.”
Shauna Bellew
“Everyone we know who is our age in Ireland is living with their parents and hoping to be able to get a mortgage one day, it isn’t even guaranteed.
“In Scotland, we have a house and a car each.
“I have family here and I’ve been visiting a few times a year since I was a child.”
Despite a flurry of praise over the video, Shauna also received some backlash from trolls.
She added: “People are saying I don’t want her to be Scottish but I have Scottish family. I have Scottish blood.
“People were telling me to go back to Ireland. I want her to have both and I’m happy for her to be Scottish and Irish.”