After leaving Ireland in 2022, an Irish expat named Marianne living in Australia made a surprise visit back home to meet her newborn niece. Although she had originally planned to stay away until Christmas 2023, the lure of meeting her new family member proved too strong. Speaking about her decision, she said, "We are a very close family and my niece is like a sister to me. I couldn't wait to see her, especially since she's been going through a tough time lately."

The heartwarming video of the surprise visit shows just how much family means to this expat, who was willing to go to great lengths to support her loved ones. Sometimes, a little pick-me-up from family is just what we need to get through tough times, and this expat knew just how important it was to be there for her family, no matter the distance.

I left Ireland in September 2022 and told my family I would not be back home for a visit until Christmas 2023. However, my sister had a baby in December 2022 and I could not wait until Christmas to come home to meet the baby and see my family. We are a very close family my niece, who is in the video, is only a few years younger than me so we are basically sisters. I couldn’t wait to see her. She has been having a tough time at the minute so I knew that she needed the pick me up.