Christmas is just around the corner, and we’re all busy out.
VIP Magazine sat down with Tadhg and Derry Fleming to find out their Christmas plans, especially now two little girls are making the festive season even more special. They also spoke about doing Christmas the right way with Re-Turn.
We can always count on these two messers to put a smile on our faces.
Christmas is just around the corner. Tadhg, you have two little girls now, so how does that change your Christmas!
Tadhg: It’s different for me this year with my two girls. It’s like seeing Christmas all over again; it’s brand new, it’s amazing to see. Little Rae is looking at the Christmas lights and is getting wowed by them. Whereas Flo now, she’s only two months old and she hasn’t a clue what’s going on. But for me it’s amazing, it’s a proper dad Christmas now! [Laughs] Me and dad have had a “Christmas light off” already, we challenged each other to have the best Christmas lights! It’s a beautiful chaos, I’ll go over to dad on Christmas Eve and we will have our own Christmas now hopefully together, and we will touch base with Alannah’s parents too.
Derry: He is in the stage now where he is trying to avoid myself. [Laughs] But he has his own family now, so it’s understandable. I’ve peace and quiet, finally!
What are your Christmas traditions?
T: We are like everyone else, we kill each other, fall asleep after dinner. [Laughs] But we also have a Christmas blitz in Castleisland, it’s been going on for over 50 years.
D: 54 years now! It’s over five days with 14,050 players taking part, and there are 171 games. It’s unbelievable, it’s great when you have family there, and the kids are playing, and grandparents who would have played or are playing. I am actually playing myself this year.
T: We have 20 cousins and some coming from America. My grandad was one of the first sponsors of the Blitz as well. It’s a lovely tradition, but hopefully we bring home the cup now this year.
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Obviously, the girls are too small, just yet. But is that a tradition you will pass onto them?
TF: They will be cheerleaders from the sidelines, no doubt, with Derry on their t-shirts, we have little mockups on them, with “Go granddad Derry, don’t break a hip”. [Laughs]
We can’t cope! Social media obviously changed your lives. Your clips have gone viral and now people are lipsyncing to your voices. Is it bizarre?
T: It is bizarre. It’s the videos that are taken randomly at home that people relate to, and even the “Who’s horse is that?” was literally me asking who’s horse is that and sending it to my wife, just asking. That went up, and it took off. But if I’m out shopping, you hear it down the aisle, people saying it to me! It is very bizarre, and even when people feel like they know you. This has been going on for eight years, people are tuning in to whatever we are doing at home, and on social media nowadays, there are loads of people doing the same thing, but what we have done is just shared moments about our life, and people relate to that.
D: Well you shared my life!
T: He didn’t have a clue about it in the beginning. [Laughs]
Really?!
D: I thought we were only having the craic at home, I thought no one could see this, only ourselves. I didn’t realise other people could see it.
T: It’s amazing like that. We use social media as a tool to share positivity, and during COVID we were posting to keep ourselves going. We had no idea that other people were in an apartment block in the city without the freedom that we have at home, but they were still tuning in. Social media gets a bad rep sometimes, but if you use it right, it can be very positive.
D: I always say, “If you see someone without a smile, give them one”.
Do you go and shake the bat’s hand?
D: [Laughs] We have him in the freezer at home, and I shake his hand every night
T: That was eight years ago on Snapchat, and it was by pure random that mum had the back door open like she always does. It was just pure chaos; it gave so many people a laugh. One minute I was working in Lifestyle Sports and the next my phone was hopping. We did a Zoom call with Jimmy Kimmell! And it was before TikTok or viral kinds of videos were a thing I think as well. It’s gone everywhere! There was a horse there recently named Catch Him Derry, it just goes to show its mad how it took off.
Talk to us about getting involved in the Re-Turn scheme.
T: Ah its been amazing, when they asked me to go around Ireland with this fella [points at Derry], I thought my head would be melted, but it was absolute amazing going to every local community, like Ballinora Scouts in Cork, and St Brid’s Special School in Mayo, and Donegal all over the place, even coming to Dublin. It was just amazing, to see the community use the return scheme to fund activities and equipment.
D: And the impact you don’t realise until you visit these places, and you see the benefits to these local communities of the return scheme, is just unreal.
T: Flo and Rae have an ideal to look up to the Re-Turn king!
D: Well, it’s for my grandkids, it’s their future we have to do our best and leave the place better than we found it.
Just before I let you go, the New year is just around the corner, what are your plans for 2026?
T: We are still winging it and winging it into 2026, but hopefully I get more sleep with the small lady, she’s not sleeping at all!
D: You’re 35, and I still haven’t slept! [Laughs]
T: For 2026, for me, it’s looking after our two girls, that’s the main thing. But it’s exciting what we are doing. It’s a beautiful thing that just keeps us going, and they are healthy now but we have no plans really.
D: I have a plan for us starting now, and it’s that we’re going to do Re-Turn right!
VIP Magazine spoke to Tadhg and Derry about the campaign with Re-turn “Small Town, Big Difference”. Re-turning is a small action that makes a big impact, and helps Ireland reach its recycling goals. When you keep plastic bottles and cans separate and bring them to an RVM, more drinks containers can be recycled again and again. Find out more here.
