TikTok videos ‘set’ Limerick man Eugene apart
“HELLOOO Set Priiiccceee, where you goin’, love?” is the catchy intro to Eugene Johnson’s hilarious videos which have taken TikTok by storm.
The little slices of Limerick nostalgia have been a huge hit with the clips garnering over 200,000 views to date.
They celebrate a well known Limerick lady from the Set Price office, says Eugene, who takes on her role.
“She's a local celebrity. It’s the old Limerick lingo – it’s how they would have spoken and how they carried on with each other. I’m just trying to recreate something, jog people's memories and to have fun,” smiled Eugene, who gives a shout-out to drag queen Celine for her videos on YouTube.
The Moyross man is taken aback at the popularity of the videos on TikTok under his handle @eugenejohnson032.
“I don't think I'm as funny as other people think I am, I just think I'm an eejit,” he laughs.
Eugene started doing the Set Price videos to share some positivity.
“It was initially set up during the pandemic and then it kind of expanded from there. People were locked in, feeling a bit stuck, not knowing what to do. I said. 'Let’s just create something fun’. It’s a local thing in Limerick, everyone is familiar with who she is.
“I said do you know what, let’s just do it. And now its become a thing, and everywhere I go people are asking me, 'Will you do it for me?’ and giving me plots for storylines, giving me things to say next. I think it’s mad the way it’s all worked out but it’s great,” said Eugene, whose biggest fans are son, Rhys, aged 6, and Harry 5
The videos have been going down a storm in Limerick and across the globe.
“People have been messaging me from all across the US, Canada, Australia, Belgium and they're all going, ‘I remember her well’ and ‘My dad loves the videos' and things like that, you know older people who emigrated years ago. I have kids coming up to me in town and they're giving me hugs. If this puts a smile on even one person's face, lets absolutely do it,” said Eugene.
Ironically, while he portrays a lady with a headset working in a taxi base he works for Uber where journeys are requested through an app.
“They’re fantastic. I’m a business development manager for the UK and Portugal. Everything now is app-based. I don’t know of too many people nowadays who ring up a taxi company but let’s keep this alive for as long as we can,” said Eugene, aged 29. What can fans expect next?
“You can expect a lot more Set Price videos and a lot more storylines and a lot more characters that you haven't met,” said Eugene, who hasn’t ruled out bringing her to the stage.
“If there is someone out there who would like to meet me or even have a chat about doing that, why not?
“I'm a big supporter of positive mental health, a bit of fun, make people smile, I'm all about that. Our lives are stressful enough – we have enough to worry about with Covid and day to day life. Let’s take a minute and laugh about something and everything will be alright,” concludes Eugene.