Dad and Daughter Take the Same Photo at 3 Stages in Her School Life–and It Goes Viral

Dad and Daughter Take the Same Photo at 3 Stages in Her School Life–and It Goes Viral
(Courtesy of Ciarán Shannon)
10/26/2020
Updated:
3/9/2021

A proud father and his daughter from Belfast, Ireland, have touched hearts across the internet by sharing the same photo of them together, at the same spot, taken years apart in life.

As part of the “How It Started, How It’s Going” trend on Twitter, Ciarán Shannon shared three photos of himself with his daughter, Niamh, at three stages of her schooling. Each picture was taken from the same spot on the street outside their family home.

To date, Shannon’s post has been liked almost a million times.

(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ciaran.shannon.3">Ciarán Shannon</a>)
(Courtesy of Ciarán Shannon)
The first photo was taken in fall of 1999 on Niamh’s first day at St. Therese of Lisieux Primary School in northern Belfast. “I think I was more nervous than her,” Shannon, 60, told BBC. “I was as proud as punch.”

The second photo was taken 14 years later. Dad and daughter re-created their original pose on Niamh’s last day at Little Flower Girls’ School in May 2013.

(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ciaran.shannon.3">Ciarán Shannon</a>)
(Courtesy of Ciarán Shannon)

The third photo was taken on Niamh’s St. Mary’s College graduation day in summer of 2018; Niamh, now 25, qualified as a math and science teacher. The person behind the camera on each occasion was her mother, Brenda.

Shannon was out walking the family dog with his wife on Oct. 10, 2020, when his phone started buzzing with notifications.

(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ciaran.shannon.3">Ciarán Shannon</a>)
(Courtesy of Ciarán Shannon)
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw the response, I was totally shocked,” Shannon marveled, speaking to the Belfast Telegraph. “By the time I got home it was around 500 likes, which I thought was great, but it just kept going and going.”

The snapshots of the dad-daughter pair, marking a child’s progression through meaningful milestones and a parent’s pride, truly struck a chord with people. “Niamh absolutely loves it,” Shannon shared. “She’s counting down to a million likes.”

(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ciaran.shannon.3">Ciarán Shannon</a>)
(Courtesy of Ciarán Shannon)

For Shannon, the most important thing is that the world now knows how proud he is of his daughter.

“She’s a great girl,” he said, “she’s been through school and training college and now she’s a teacher in her own right ... She’s our only child as well, so that makes it all the more special for us.”

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Louise Chambers is a writer, born and raised in London, England. She covers inspiring news and human interest stories.
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