Tok around the clock: Ireland's top Tiktok sensations on the social media craze

Nearly half of the country thought Tiktok was the biggest lockdown trend. We learn about the app from some of its most popular insiders

Tadhg Fleming has over 2.2 million followers on Tiktok with his Alexa parody videos being viewed millions of times.

Over half of us spent up to nine hours a day on our phones during the first lockdown, according to new research by Huawei. Where was this time spent? Tiktok of course, the latest social media craze sweeping the world.

Huawei’s survey showed that 44% of Irish people thought Tiktok dances were the biggest lockdown trend and that a quarter planned to either create or watch more of them.

The video-sharing app, where users create short 60-second clips, was originally a lip-syncing platform. Now with over 1 billion users, videos can range anywhere from singing and dancing to comedy and fact-sharing.

They can also feature a popular Kerry family, known for their love of bat catching.

Catch him Derry

Tadhg Fleming, who’s teamed up with Huawei to promote their PSmart 2021 smartphone, has over 2.2 million followers on Tiktok, where he shares videos he makes with his family.

Particularly featured is his father and partner-in-crime Derry, who gained worldwide fame after a 2017 video Tadhg took of him trying to remove a bat from their Ballymacelligott home went viral.

Tadhg was working in social media management at the time and says that he never imagined the doors that would open because of the video, which has been viewed well over 100 million times.

The family, who featured everywhere from international news sites to Jimmy Kimmel Live! in the US soon after, were inundated with messages. Tadhg felt it was an opportunity they should take hold of.

“It’s madness and it can be very overwhelming but I think we’ve created a hub for people and it’s lovely to see,” Tadhg explains via Zoom from their now-famous kitchen.

“All the videos we do are on the fly. You honestly don’t know what’s going to take off. It’s like an invitation into our family life and people love the antics and I think they can relate. When I was growing up you had The Den and The Disney Club, nowadays young people are on their phones. It’s entertainment,” the 30-year-old says.

Derry Fleming caught a lot more than a bat when his son's video went viral.

His father laughed when he first watched the videos but had no idea everyone else could see them too. Now, Derry spends his time replying to messages from fans and getting spotted while at work in his local Credit Union.

“So many people out there are saying we make them happy. We get a lot of videos back from people, like kids, and we got our elderly neighbour involved as well. My mother-in-law is 92 and she loves it. That’s what it’s all about,” he says. “There’s no age bracket. For us it’s family and having the craic and if it can bring a smile to someone’s face what harm.”

“It escalates a lot though,” Tadhg laughs. “One minute you’re in the kitchen and the next you're outside dancing in Crocs. You should see this fella’s wardrobe, where are the red heels?”

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“Anything goes in this house,” Derry laughs. “I’m like a prisoner in my own home. I even check my shower now to make sure there’s no camera.” 

Tadhg says that despite the 45.5 million likes his videos have gotten on the app, the Flemings are like any other family and want to have time together off-screen too.

“We kill each other sometimes but we have great craic, we’re always messing. We see comments from people asking if Derry would adopt them. They wouldn't last a week!” 

Ireland’s most popular Tiktoker 

Louth teenager Victoria Adeyinka has more followers than Cardi B

17-year-old Victoria Adeyinka became a Tiktok sensation when she started creating comedy sketches on the app earlier this year.

The Drogheda native is now the most popular Tiktoker in Ireland, with more followers than Ellen DeGeneres and Miley Cyrus.

Victoria says that lockdown boredom was what brought her to the app. She had downloaded it last year but only started creating videos once the pandemic hit.

“I would see how much fun Tiktokers would have posting videos together, living together, and just the amazing opportunities they got from the app, so I decided to post my own videos as well,” she says.

Yes, Tiktokers do live together. The idea for collaborative ‘Tiktok houses’ originated in the States, where the platform teamed up with popular creators to move them into mansions in order to make content together.

The four-story G.O.A.T House in South Dublin is Ireland’s answer, with nine 18 to 22-year-old residents creating videos for their collective 8 million followers.

Victoria isn’t a member of the household, so doesn’t have the benefits of an at-home gym or private chef just yet, but she has something that a lot of creators crave - more than 12.2 million followers and 455 million likes, most of which were gained during lockdown.

“I never thought that my content would attract that many people and in such a short amount of time,” Victoria says.

Her original aim for the year was to gain 100,000 followers, so she was shocked by the fanship.

“I was so bored and the only thing I could do was make videos,” she says. Victoria posts nearly every day, creating over 400 skits so far.

“Thinking of content constantly is hard but fun at the same time,” she says. “If it’s getting too much for me, or I’m just not in the mood, I won’t post for a day or two.” She usually finds inspiration from her own experiences and often, like Tadhg, includes her mother in her videos.

“It’s an app for all ages,” she says. “Which is what makes TikTok so entertaining. Everyone is different. It’s an app for everybody.”