TikTok unveils top trends, artists, creators and videos in Ireland for 2023

2023 was the year we learned a new life hack (or two!), laughed out loud, and couldn’t stop thinking about the Roman Empire.

Five years since the app launched here in 2018, there are now 2 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 TikTok community in Ireland continued creating, connecting and celebrating authenticity on TikTok throughout 2023.

As we edge towards the end of 2023, TikTok has published its Year on TikTok list – a review of the most popular TikTok trends, artists, creators and videos in Ireland.

Check it out:

Every day, a star is born on TikTok.

This year, we were entertained and inspired by an entire galaxy of creators, who remain the beating heart of TikTok.

From the iconic #TubeGirl aka Sabrina Bahsoon to a cute border collie named Pluto, as well as “The Irish Gay”, here are the breakthrough creators, celebrities and artists who made it on and beyond TikTok in 2023 in Ireland.

Breakthrough Stars: Breakthrough Stars in Ireland in 2023

@chrisisainmdom: Chris, also known as “The Irish Gay,” is a breakout star on the TikTok comedy scene. Originally from Meath, Chris is best known for his hilarious content.

@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.

TikTok is a place where you can start small, but think – and achieve – big. No one knows this better than small business owners who truly felt the positive impact of the TikTok community in 2023.

Thanks to trending hashtags like #SMB and #SmallBusiness, and #IrishSmallBusiness, we discovered a dad’s T-shirt designs from the 80s and 90s that went on to sell 1000s of T-Shirts and massively grow their business.

In Ireland, TikTok has helped local businesses like the mother and daughter duo from I-SPY Clothing in Co. Clare, and Helen from Sound Quality Gifts in Monaghan, to grow their audiences and reach new customers.

Loved by Locals: Popular Small Businesses on TikTok in Ireland

@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 Love Island.

In 2023, creators continued to push boundaries, inspiring others to learn something new and advocate for causes they care about.

Whether it’s @dr.blondieperes, a doctor using her platform to educate, or @indiasasha, a disability-rights activist promoting body confidence, these creators are making a huge difference around the world.

Voice of Change: Irish TikTok Creators Making a Difference

@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.

With so much educational content, we learn while we scroll on TikTok! In 2023, #BookTok taught us that reading is cool again, #CleanTok showed us the most helpful household hacks and #ArtTok helped us to brush up our art knowledge.

In Ireland, @crypticaf is teaching us tips and tricks for cryptic crosswords, @millennialwealthsarah offers us practical advice on money and investing, and @kylecookegoalkeeping is helping us to improve our football skills!

Discover the most popular trends, tricks and how-tos in Ireland that made our lives even better in 2023.

#LearnonTikTok In Ireland

@crypticaf: Crypticaf is on a mission to democratise cryptic crosswords. From common codes to cryptic clues, we’re here for it!

@millennialwealthsarah: Sarah Adekola is loved by the TikTok community for her practical advice on money and investing. One of her most popular videos on how to pick the best luggage has garnered 2.5 million views.

@kylecookegoalkeeping: Kyle is an aspiring professional football player who shares foot tips with his community based on popular questions, like 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 over 1.5M times.

In 2023, trending content took over #ForYou feeds around the world – especially in the entertainment, lifestyle & education and sports categories.

We were mesmerized by Dollievision’s makeup routine, that Capybara song, and the brilliance of sheepdogs – so many good memories, you can almost hear them!

In Ireland, Irish artist @smashingpencils captivated us with his relaxing colour-mixing videos, and Cork creator Ian Slattery made us laugh with his funny reposts, like this one of someone falling through a gap in a bar door.

Keep on reading to discover the most popular videos and trends in Ireland this year that had everyone saying, ‘Have you seen that TikTok about…?’ this year.

FYFaves: Popular videos in Ireland in 2023

@ian..slattery: Ian Slattery is a TikTok creator from Cork who reshares funny videos with his community of over half a million followers, like this one of a potentially scandalous-looking medieval machine.

@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, like this video of Rebecca lipsyncing to Whitney Houston.

@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!

From catchy pop tunes to comeback tracks, TikTok artists gave us the soundtrack of 2023.

Whether we’re singing along to chart-toppers or discovering the next emerging hit, these were the songs that couldn’t get out of our heads throughout the year.

In 2023, the most popular song across Ireland and the UK was ‘Sprinter’ by Dave and Central Cee, which immediately gripped TikTok creators and brought these artists to the global stage.

We also couldn’t get enough of catchy hits like Collide and Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2! Turn up the volume and check out TikTok’s most popular songs in Ireland this year:

1. “Sprinter” – Dave & Central Cee: Sprinter by Central Cee and Dave is our most popular song by video creations in the UK. Creators loved singing along to the lyrics and sharing their adoration for the duo, with Shakira and Kylie Jenner also using the sound.

2. “Collide (more sped up)” – Justine Skye: TikTok continues to demonstrate its power to breathe new life into older music releases with Justin Skye’s “Collide.”

3. “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” – PinkPantheress & Ice Spice: This was Ice Spice’s year, and she struck gold after pairing up with certified TikTok all-star PinkPantheress on “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2.”

4. “Cupid – Twin Ver.” – Sped Up Version – FIFTY FIFTY: K-Pop group FIFTY FIFTY had the biggest song on TikTok in 2023. Capitalizing on the TikTok audience’s affinity for sped-up songs, this version of “Cupid” was popular across the board as a backing track to food tutorials to outfit picks.

5. “Green Green Grass” (Sped-Up) – George Ezra: This sped up remix has generated a family-led wholesome trend where creators compare their age to their siblings and parents, sharing their relationships with the wider community as well as celebrating milestone moments. The hashtag #greengreengrass has hit nearly a billion views, showing the huge global reach of Ezra’s catchy hit.

6. “California Gurls” – Katy Perry: #CaliforniaGurls boasts 850M views on TikTok. Katy revealed the secret behind her quirky “Doll Eye” skill in a wildly popular TikTok clip.

7. “Strangers – Kenya Grace: This self-produced DnB single from Kenya Grace put the singer on the musical map this year. Kenya Grace became one of only two British female artists to reach the No 1 spot on the Official Charts with a track performed, written and produced entirely solo.

8. Paint The Town Red – Doja Cat: First teasing the single on TikTok in July, Doja Cat dropped this new single as part of her. It even started trending as part of a niche hair trend, a dramatic colour transformation that has been coined #cowgirlcopper.

9. Makeba – Jain: Breathing life into songs from the past is TikTok’s specialty, but thanks largely to a meme featuring comedian-actor Bill Hader, “Makeba” by French singer-songwriter Jain rose to new heights in 2023, becoming a global top 10.

10. Radio – Lana Del Rey

In 2023, TikTok strived to become a platform that supports artists and the industry whilst encouraging musical discovery and rediscovery.

TikTok’s breakthrough artist category celebrates the artists from across Ireland and the UK who have truly broken into the mainstream this year – from rap, hip hop, classical to alternative pop.

Whether it’s chart hits, major award wins or sold out tours, these artists have achieved incredible success which is celebrated by the TikTok community:

Breakthrough Artists in Ireland and the UK

Mae Stephens – Mae swapped supermarket shifts for TikTok stardom, topping our global Songs of the Summer list with her smash hit ‘If We Ever Broke Up‘. After releasing the track and getting signed by EMI, Mae’s legion of TikTok fans continues to grow with 379k followers and 8.8m likes.

CHINCHILLA – Emerging artist CHINCHILLA had a breakout year thanks to her single, ‘Little Girl Gone‘, which quickly became the anthem for women who were sick and tired of being underestimated. She was the first female soloist in the Billboard Emerging Artists chart’s six-year history to debut at No. 1.

Jazzy – Upcoming artist Jazzy, whose viral tracks ‘Giving Me‘ and ‘Feel It‘ had huge moments on TikTok this year, was also the first Irish female artist in over 14 years to reach #1 in the Official Irish Singles Charts. Creators loved using her song to soundtrack everything from gym to day in the life content. Jazzy is among the many female artists who have fronted our #ElectronicMusic campaign.

Kenya Grace – Having teased ‘Strangers‘ on TikTok in July, this debut was an immediate hit with creators who used the sound to share their photo dumps and montages. It reached #1 in the UK singles charts, the second song entirely written and produced by a British female solo artist to achieve this feat, and ended up featuring in TikTok’s top 10 most popular songs by video creations in the UK this year.

Caity Baser – Caity Baser shot to fame on TikTok with her hit single ‘X&Y‘, a breakup anthem with catchy and relatable lyrics that had the community singing along to the heartfelt song. Since then, Caity has collaborated with other major UK artists, including Sigala, Stefflon Don and Mae Muller, hitting the charts.

Cian Ducrot – After his breakout single ‘All For You‘ took off on TikTok and landed on the UK charts, Cian Ducrot has taken off. Cian’s videos of breaking into songs with his choir reached upwards of 100 million views, with fans loving exclusive clips from his ongoing tour. Following his online success, Cian’s debut studio album, ‘Victory’ topped the Official Albums Chart.

Lola Young – This rising star is a TikTok enthusiast, amassing over half a million followers with previews of her latest tracks and live performances. Her single ‘Don’t Hate Me (Swingset Version)‘ was sparked after a video she posted on a set of swings went viral, with stars like Bella Hadid and Kendall using the sound before its official release. It now has close to 200,000 video creations.

AntsLive – With creativity at the core of everything he does, this charismatic rap artist captivates his fans on TikTok. Building a reputation for wacky video concepts and iconic visuals, AntsLive always shares fun behind-the-scenes content and snippets for whatever fresh video he’s cooking up next.

Prinz – It’s been an amazing year for Prinz who also made it into our Hitmakers list as the sixth most popular artist account. His track ‘Peter Pan‘ took off on TikTok in 2022, sending him into 2023 with a quickly growing fanbase. With singles like ‘Highs and Lows‘ amassing over 635,000 creations, Prinz has established himself as a master of the preview, with his teasers regularly crossing the 1 million view mark.

Anna Lapwood – Anna Lapwood is one of the fastest growing names in classical music, using TikTok to bring classical to the mainstream with accessible content that resonates across generations. Anna’s patented midnight organ sessions have become her signature touch, attracting over 640,000 followers to the organist’s page. Anna also helped to popularise the #PlayLikeAGirl TikTok trend, which has taken a life of its own with close to 100 million views spanning different musical disciplines and even sports.

In 2023, Cian Ducrot (@cianducrot) was the most viewed artist on TikTok in Ireland this year, followed by Niall Horan (@niallhoran) and Robert Grace (@robertgracemusic).

Also featured in the top ten is Jazzy (@jazzyofficial) who became the first Irish woman to reach number one on Spotify!

Hitmakers in Ireland

1. @cianducrot – Cian’s debut album Victory was released in August 2023. To promote the release, Cian did a series of pop-up choirs in unexpected places, like at the mall, and on a city bus.

2. @niallhoran – Niall Horan has had an incredible year on TikTok, as one of the faces of #NewMusic to share snippets of his new music, the community has loved creating with tracks from his latest record The Show.

3. @robertgracemusic – Robert Grace is an Irish singer-songwriter from County Kilkenny. He shares originals, covers and mashups with his TikTok community of over 3 million.

4. @ryanmackmusic – Ryan Mack is an independent artist from Ireland who re-writes popular songs and also shares his original music.

5. @jazzyofficial – Jazzy is an Irish singer-songwriter who was born in Dublin. ‘Giving Me’ has been a huge hit with the community on TikTok who rallied round the track driving Jazzy to #1 in the Irish charts.

6. @hozierofficial – Indie-legend Hozier needs no introduction. The Bray-native shares backstage footage and snippets from his performances on his TikTok platform, which has more than 1 million followers.

7. @alliesherlock – Allie Sherlock is an 18-year-old singer songwriter from Cork Ireland, who started her music career performing on the streets of Cork and Dublin Ireland. Her cover of ‘Always Remember Us this Way” by Lady Gaga got over 400K views.

8. @iamleaheart – Sometimes referred to as “the Irish Olivia Rodrigo,” Lea Heart broke out on the music scene during lockdown, and has since amassed more than 160K followers on TikTok!

9. @chasingabbey – Irish pop trio Chasing Abbey are leading the pop dance scene in Ireland. The three members are originally from the midlands of Ireland, but spent the fall touring across the country.

10. @dermotkennedy – Dermot Joseph Kennedy, the Dublin-native singer, is best known for his singles Outnumbered, Power Over Me, and Giants, as well as his feature on the 2020 Meduza single Paradise.

This year, the TikTok community continued to bring their creativity to life and push the boundaries of self-expression through a diverse array of community effects, sounds, filters and more, with more than 25 billion videos created using community effects to date.

This year, we all loved sharing our versions of Girl Dinner, acting like we were in a Wes Anderson film and using our Bombastic Side Eye.

Here are the most popular trends made possible by unique features – and our creativity – in 2023.

Only On TikTok: The Trends only on TikTok

Roman Empire (2.4b views): This trend was all about the collective revelation that men seem to think about the Roman Empire a lot. The TikTok community couldn’t get enough of it, with thousands of women sharing videos quizzing the men in their lives.

Delulu (4.4Bb views): This year, ‘Delulu’ took our FYPs by storm. The idea is to set unrealistic expectations for yourself and earnestly believe you will achieve them. This applies to your career, relationships, and mental well-being – anything can make you delulu if you want it badly enough.

Yearbook photobooth (2.6b views): Created by @joanitante, the ‘Yearbook photobooth’ emerged as the go-to filter for creators looking to turn back the clock and see what they would look like with a 90s makeover.

Wes Anderson (2.7b views): From composition to colour grading, music and editing, Wes Anderson’s iconic movies inspired creators’ inner Hollywood auteur, as people reimagined everyday scenes in Wes Anderson’s style.

Bombastic Side Eye (2.3b views): Another essential addition to the TikTok vernacular, ‘bombastic side eye‘, which was first coined by @lmfaomal, refers to a sassy reaction reserved for those moments when a typical side-eye just isn’t enough.

Beige flag, red flag, green flag (8.52B views): This trio of filters helped creators identify the best, worst, and slightly annoying aspects of their and their loved ones’ personalities. Whether it was smiling at strangers, using wired headphones, or picking their noses, these trends had everyone thinking about the signals you can’t ignore.

Aged filter (24.6M creations): This filter allowed creators to turn the clock forward, giving them a glimpse at what they could look like in a few decades’ time. A hilarious and heart-warming glimpse into the future!

Girl Dinner / Boy Dinner (2.67B views): Also known as picky bits, Girl Dinner encapsulates light snacks that can replace a traditional entréé, including indulgent cheeses, juicy fruits and all types of bread. We also saw the trends little brother – aka Boy Dinner – rise to prominence on TikTok, with the men of TikTok putting their best culinary feet forward with their straightforward meals.

Girl Summer (4B views): Between the sun-kissed looks of tomato girls, carefree attitude of rat girls, and fun-loving hot girls, women everywhere embraced living their best girlish lives this summer, in whichever way suited them best.

Date bark (24.5B views): Date Bark was all about creating a portable, tasty, sweet, and healthy treat. Using dates as its base, the viral treat saw creators combine peanut butter, chocolate, flakey sea salt, and nuts with the medjool dates. Some creators mixed up the formula, sharing chocolate bar inspired versions, and by switching up the dates for different fruit.