As quickly as it burst onto our feeds, the Cherry Tomato Bridge in Drumcondra has been vandalised, proving that once again, we simply can't be trusted with a good thing.
Much like the mild disaster that was the 24 hour portal off O’Connell Street, the phenomenon took over TikTok, receiving millions of views from hundreds of videos until someone simply took it too far.
But what exactly turns a cultural moment from a single funny video shared around Whatsapp groups to a part of our national tapestry? For some, social media virality is fleeting; for others, people still celebrate you slipping on the ice on national news for fifteen years.
One important note about Irish TikTok is that there is no template to what a page needs to be successful. Popular accounts have involved anything from a Chinese person rating Chinese restaurants in Ireland to a gift shop owner in Monaghan Town. There's no formula for social media glory, but there are a few common factors across the board.
Consistency is key to achieving a following online. I know as soon as the first of the month comes around, I can open up TikTok and see a family react to the latest edition of the Daniel O'Donnell callendar. Creator of the Year nominee James Doyle has spoken about posting multiple times a day when first making content, keeping him on For You Pages constantly until 1.4 million people decided to stick around.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Listen: Oliver Callan on the Cherry Tomato Bridge
Formats like Cassie Stokes' "Best of" series are invaluable to people who need suggestions on where to go in their own area or somewhere new, and if you trust their opinion, there's no reason not to return. If the public knows they can come back for more of what they enjoy, they’ll keep returning until the well runs dry.
If you look at Ireland's top creators in comparison with the States (for as long as they still have TikTok), you’ll see one glaring difference between our stars and theirs; there’s a degree of familiarity with each of our influencers. We all know a cheeky chappy like Eric Roberts or or a gas woman like Kaleigh Trappe, , and we've certainly had heated arguments over food like Garron Noone.
As a small country, we are only ever a few degrees of separation away from each of the faces that we see on our screens; hell, I'm certain that anyone reading this would be able to find a mutual connection with myself or anyone else reading this piece.
Is there any way to predict what the next TikTok craze is going to be? If you predicted that cherry tomatoes on a bridge would be big in 2025, I'd be asking you for next week’s Lotto numbers. I personally think there’ll be a major influx of Irish language content on the site; similar to the bridge, it’s free, available to all, and can be a bit of craic if you don’t take it so seriously. 2024 might have been the year of Kneecap, but don’t be surprised if you see another huge Irish-language breakthrough in 2025.
