Keelin heading in One Direction for favourite band

Rhode mum Sandra Hynes and her One Direction mad daughter Keelin have certainly had an eventful few days.

The pair were one of thousands of 1D fans who were left high and dry on Tuesday night after the boyband’s last minute cancellation of their show in Belfast's SSE Arena.

The unpopular announcement was made after the support act Jamie Lawson had finished his set and the excitement amongst the young crowd had reached fever pitch.

Speaking to Offaly Independent, Sandra says that Keelin, who was attending her first concert after receiving the tickets as a gift last Christmas, was devastated by the news. 

“I honestly thought it was a joke, we had watched the support act. I turned to Keelin and said it’s a joke don’t worry. I thought the lads were going to jump out.

'I don’t think I’ll ever get the look out of my head when I turned around to her. She literally put her head on my shoulder and started to cry.”

Sandra, who estimates that she is over €500 out of pocket from the trip to Belfast, says that what particularly annoyed her was the “manner” in which the news was relayed to the thousands of young fans.

She also questions whether the rest of the band could have performed without their ill colleague saying “three would have been better than none”.

“The merchandise, which was very expensive, was still being sold at 9pm and the concert was cancelled at 9.03pm. I find it very hard to believe that someone could get sick that quickly. The support act was getting the crowd riled up saying that it was going to be the night of their lives.

“Even it they had come out themselves and said that they were really sorry. It was handled very badly.”

The trip to Belfast was a treat for Keelin, who “never asks for anything”, according to her mum. The pair traveled up on Monday to see the sights and the concert was due to be the highlight of their mini-break in the city.

While 1D announced that the canceled gig was being rescheduled for this evening, Friday October 23, Sandra didn’t know if she and Keelin would be returning to Belfast due to the costs involved.

However, after seeing how upset the pair were, Sandra’s partner Jimmy Spollen surprised them with an early Christmas present and booked them a hotel room in the city centre, much to Keelin’s delight.

“He said you can’t not go. He said that we went to so much effort already. Keelin is very excited. She said that we don’t have to go, but that is her all the way, she never asks for anything and really appreciates it. We’ve come this far, we might as well go.”