A sweet reunion between two sisters, separated for more than 10 years, has touched millions on TikTok.
Teresa McGill, 96, and her younger sister Lola Brady, 87, grew up with seven other siblings on a farm near Oldcastle in County Cavan, Ireland.
Teresa worked as a nurse for many years, while Lola moved to Long Island, where she worked as a coding clerk.
Over time, four of the siblings emigrated to America. Today, Teresa, Lola, and their brother Sean, 83, who also lives in New York, are the only surviving members of their generation.
Because of health concerns and the high cost of flights, the sisters had not seen each other for more than 10 years.
Lola’s daughter Sheila and her family had been saving for years to make a reunion trip possible.
Now, a clip of their reunion, uploaded by Teresa’s granddaughter Meghan McGill, has gone viral with over 1.2 million views and 134,000 likes.
“Their reunion has meant a lot to us as a family because especially at the ages they are there’s no guarantee of anything,” Meghan told Newsweek.
“Seeing them greet each other the way they did was like watching a lifetime of girlhood and history and life come to such a special moment. It was surreal and sobering and made a lot of us realize just how precious life is.”
Lola traveled to Dublin with her granddaughter Jackie Cohen, 27, and stayed with Teresa in Tallaght for a week.
The sisters spent their time enjoying tea, brandy, and their favourite soaps. They reminisced about “old times, good times, and sad times,” as Lola said.
They planned to visit their family cottage in Virginia, Cavan, and attend the Blessing of the Graves Mass in Castlerahan, where many relatives are buried, including Teresa’s husband and child.
They also wanted to drive by their old family farm, which is now rented out.
Despite their age difference, Teresa and Lola’s bond has always been strong. They often share childhood stories of mischief, their early years on the farm, and their transitions to city life in Dublin and New York.
Coming from a large family with deep Catholic roots – including an uncle, Archbishop Charles Heerey, and three generations of priests – faith remains important to them.
Meghan said the family has been recording the sisters’ memories whenever possible before Lola returns to the U.S.
TikTok viewers were deeply moved by the clip, with one viewer writing: “And then I realised that once they were little girls, playing with each other, telling secrets to one another, planning their future…and I started sobbing.”
“I swear to god all I do on this app is crying over strangers,” another added.
“Jesus I’m bawling, how precious,” a third commented.
“This got to me more than it should. My little sister’s funeral was just a couple of weeks ago. My eulogy was about how we will never grow old together,” another commented.
Images: TikTok
