Garth Brooks in tears recalling eerie interaction with woman at Croke Park gig

Country music star Garth Brooks was left in tears recently as he recalled a gift he received from a woman at the opening night of his run in Croke Park back in 1997.

The Friends In Low Places star has a deep affinity with Croke Park and Ireland having played that 1997 run along with five nights in 2022, a return that will soon be immortalised in a TV special.

Brooks was speaking on a Facebook Live video last year when he remembered a poignant moment from Ireland in 1997. He was asked to recall the most special gift he's received while touring the world and he immediately said, "it was in Ireland."

"We're over there opening night of Croke Park in 1997 and Bob Doyle brings in this woman, an Irish lady, who brought me a rosary [beads] and said 'this is for your mom'."

Garth asked the woman how she knew his mom was Catholic and recalled the woman saying, "I didn't, this is for your mom." A phonecall later than same night from his father added real significance to the gift.

READ NEXT: Garth Brooks in Ireland TV special update after 'incredible' Croke Park gigs

He remembered: "That night I got the call from dad to say mom's cancer had been diagnosed. I took that rosary back and it stayed with my mother and even went in my mom's casket with her.

"It was one of the strangest stories ever," he said as he choked up and describe the woman who gave him the gift as "more angelic" with every telling of it.

"It was like she knew or something, so when you ask what's the gift you remember most, that would be it. I can't tell you how much comfort that brought and we got to hold onto mom for two more years after that thanks to all the prayers and the excellent work of the doctors."

He concluded: "I would still have it [the rosary beads] today if my mom didn't have it. I love Ireland, it's full of good people."

Meanwhile, the country icon given another update to Irish fans hoping to watch the recording of his shows from Croke Park in 2022.

He has long-promised the footage to fans and it now looks like it's finally going to be released this year. 

Speaking on a separate Facebook Live video, he said: "I'm seeing the Irish thing coming closer and closer. It's feeling great." He said the production is working on telling the "story" behind the Irish gigs which came 25 years after he previously played Croke Park in 1997 and eight years after his five cancelled shows in 2014.

He said the show will see "the people who have been here from day one telling the story of this weird love affair between the great country of Ireland and this guy from Oklahoma who doesn't know why they've been so sweet to him. It's a beautiful, beautiful story.

"When you see the performance pieces, they'll just blow you away, it's crazy" he added.

While not giving exact dates, Garth has previously hinted that the Irish TV special would be out "this fall" which would mean fans getting the chance to relive the 2022 gigs before Christmas.

He previously said: "It's going to be worth the wait. When I see it, I just cry the whole time."

"When you think about it, it's just 85,000 people that are one and this happened five nights in a row. They came there to sing. This will be the one concert you'll go, 'I can't hear Garth,' and you won't. They just swallow it up and it's fantastic," he added.

"It makes an entertainer's job very easy. For anybody that gets to play music, you're damn lucky if you get to play in Ireland and I'll be damn lucky if I get to play there again. I love that place," he added hinting at a possible return to these shores.

He added: "It's coming. The video is done. The images are done."

He previously announced that live recordings from Croke Park would also be featured on his new live album called Killer Live. While not specifically saying which tracks from Croke Park will feature, he said, "we've got a lot of good things coming."

One hint came in a previous live video when Garth mentioned his performance of The Dance in Croke Park as a stand-out moment.

"Reliving the thought right now, I'm sitting here crying, especially The Dance," he said.

"Should anyone get through The Dance without crying, because everyone in the crowd's crying. It's great.

"The guys that captured it did a great job but the crowd, their voices. They'll do the big drone and helicopter shots and just that sound coming out of that stadium, of all those voices singing together. Man, it will rock your world."