Many people were surprised to see Game of Thrones star Kerry Ingram perform at the Mqabba festa, but her appearance wasn’t as random as it might have seemed.

It turns out that Kerry Ingram – best known for playing the greyscale-inflicted Shireen Baratheon on Game of Thrones – has pretty deep ties to Malta.

Kerry’s grandfather is from Mqabba and she regularly travels to Malta to attend the village feast. Her mother grew up partly in Malta and partly in England.

She told the Malta Tourism Authority that Malta is her favourite destination in the world, and that she visited the island five times last year and four or five times so far this year.

“I absolutely suggest Malta [as a destination],” she said. “There is a lovely mixture of beach relaxation, but also history and culture, and its a beautiful place to visit.”