Cork doctor, a Kildare baker and Centra staff in Clare among Irish TikTok's 2023 heroes
Baker Alice Kelly, Dr Monica Peres Oikeh, and staff at Deasy's Centra in Clarecastle are among the Irish TikTok stars of 2023
More than a billion people are using TikTok now — and there are two million people across Ireland tuning into TikTok each month.
From comfort-food recipes to satirical 'Point of View' videos (POV), throwback tracks, and thriving small businesses, the Irish TikTok content creators are definitely keeping busy. Here are some of the hits and the newcomers of 2023.
- @chrisisainmdom: Chris, also known as "The Irish Gay," is a breakout star on the TikTok comedy scene. Chris is originally from Meath.
- @itshanice_: Shanice is a 24-year-old Irish creator who has amassed nearly half a million followers on TikTok over the last four years. This year, she launched into the music world by releasing her first single 'Here We Go Again'.
- @garron_music: Garron is an Irish musician and comedian who will have you in stitches with his hilarious hot takes and commentary on current events. A few highlights include his video on Irish Chinese Food and his commentary on some Harrowing Twister Footage.
- @annaliviahynds: Annaliva is a 25-year-old Northern Irish creator who is sharing her parenting journey on TikTok. She gained significant traction this year for her videos documenting her family adventures, like their recent trip to Disneyland. This year, her follower count has grown by 453%
- @ericroberts44: Eric Roberts, originally from Donegal, has become an Irish TikTok sensation. His videos have garnered millions of likes; some of his most popular content lately is him sharing behind-the-scenes details about his time on Squid Games: The Challenge. Before gaining notoriety on TikTok, Eric worked as a special needs assistant, but this year he transitioned to creating content and presenting full-time.
- @theispyteam: I-SPY Clothing is an activewear brand created by a Co.Clare mother and daughter duo, Paulette and Louise Egan. Their videos feature the pair having a laugh testing out the products.
- @fromscratchbaker: Alice Kelly is a 19-year-old Kildare-based baker who's amassed over a million followers on TikTok! She's well-known for converting an old trailer into a bakery-on-wheels.
- @centra_clarecastle: Deasy's Centra, in Clarecastle, has grown quite the following from keeping up with TikTok trends and sharing funny videos from the team on the ground.
- @helen.drumm: Sound Quality Gifts is a gift shop in Monaghan that has grown a significant fan following in Ireland around the world. Their videos feature Helen Drumm, the company's charismatic owner; some highlights include her tribute to Barbie, or a video of Helen dancing around the store.
- @freebornnoble: Cam Mashaun is an award-winning wig stylist and hairdresser based in Dublin who posts videos about hair and fashion. She's widely known for doing hair for Season 7 of .
- @dr.blondieperes: Dr Monica Peres Oikeh is an Irish doctor in Cork who uses her platform to educate others about mental health. She's also an advocate for women's health, sharing videos on topics like HPV vaccines.
- @irelandsfavouritegay: Meri Hernandez LGBTQIA+ creator shares advice on how to be more confident in your sexuality, and how to come out to your friends.
- @indiasasha: India is a disability-rights activist who is using her platform to promote body confidence, document relatable everyday experiences, and just have a good laugh.
- @kerrycoda: Steve White is an Irish Sign Language (ISL) user who shares ISL resources and tutorials with his community on TikTok.
- @huhclotthing_: HUH Clothing (which stands for How's Ur Head) is an Irish athletic and leisure wear start-up based in County Meath, Ireland which also raises money for, and awareness around the importance of Mental Health (10% of every single sale to mental health organisations in need.) HUH's founder, Mark Donnelly, films himself packing up orders for postage and doing behind-the-scenes coffee runs for his staff.
- @crypticaf: Crypticaf is on a mission to democratise cryptic crosswords.
- @millennialwealthsarah: Sarah Adekola has practical advice on money and investing. One of her most popular videos on how to pick the best luggage garnered 2.5 million views.
- @kylecookegoalkeeping: Kyle is an aspiring professional football player who shares foot tips with his community based on popular questions, such as how do I take a goal kick? and how do I catch a ball properly?
- @leavingcertguidance: Donnchadh O’Mahony is a Dublin secondary school guidance counsellor who shares academic advice on things like taking your leaving cert and how to defer a CAO course.
- @fooddunneright: Ciarán Dunne is a Dublin-based food creator who shares comfort recipes with his community on TikTok. His video creating a roast chicken baguette has been viewed more than 1.5M times.
- @ian..slattery: Ian Slattery is a TikTok creator from Cork who reshares funny videos with his community of over half a million followers.
- @smashingpencils: This creator is an Irish artist who posts relaxing ASMR art videos on TikTok. His colour-mixing videos get millions of views.
- @hellorebeccaryan: Rebecca Ryan is an Irish actor and mum of two who shares funny skits that often include the whole family.
- @monika_mua_: Monika is a Dublin-based make-up artist who shares beauty and fashion content with her community of 194K followers.
- @victoralfred11: Victor Alfred is a rapper, actor and content creator who's amassed nearly a million followers on TikTok. His POV video about that friend who makes their own remix of every song has been viewed more than 9.4 million times.
Meanwhile, Lewis Capaldi has seen off competition from Sam Smith and Central Cee to become the most-viewed UK artist account on TikTok for 2023.
The Scottish star, 27, was announced in the top spot in the social media giant’s annual Year On TikTok report, which reviews the trends and creators of the past year.
Capaldi has built up a following of 8.4 million on the platform through videos that show off his musical talent and comedic personality, with his content generating nearly 182 million likes.
In June, the 'Someone You Loved' singer announced he would be taking a break from touring “for the foreseeable future” as he learns to adjust to the impact of his Tourette’s diagnosis.
It came after the crowd helped carry him through his set at Glastonbury Festival as he struggled with his voice and what appeared to be ticks during the set.
Earlier in the year he shared in the Netflix documentary how the pressures of fame have affected him mentally and physically.
The film went on to win the National Television Award in the authored documentary category and is nominated for a Grammy for Best Music Film.
Smith, whose song 'Unholy' with Kim Petras went viral on TikTok after it was released in September last year, was the second most-viewed UK artist for 2023.
London-born rapper Central Cee came third after the track 'Sprinter' with rapper Dave dominated the charts this year.
Singer Anne-Marie took fourth place on the list after releasing her third studio album, Unhealthy, earlier this year while singer-songwriting superstar Ed Sheeran came fifth, dropping two spaces from his third place finish last year.
Sheeran has continued to top the charts this year as his album – ( ), the fifth in his mathematical symbol series, went straight to number-one while his latest release, 'Autumn Variations', became his seventh number-one studio album in October.
Elsewhere in the TikTok playlist chart, Central Cee and Dave’s Latin-tinged drill track 'Sprinter' took the top spot for the ‘songs that soundtracked 2023 in the UK’.
Sped-up editions of 'Collide' by Justine Skye and the Twin version of 'Cupid' by South Korean girl group FIFTY FIFTY took the second and third spots after becoming a popular backing track for TikTok videos.
Another sped-up version, this time George Ezra’s hit 'Green Green Grass', also proved popular and claimed the fourth spot on the list with French singer Jain’s upbeat track 'Makeba' placing fifth.
The video platform has also helped many up-and-coming artists gain online traction over the year with 20-year-old Mae Stephens topping the ‘breakthrough artists of 2023’ chart.
The singer from Northamptonshire released a number of tracks this year with 'If We Ever Broke Up' reaching number 13 in the UK singles chart.
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