‘No chance’ of Donegal winning the All-Ireland claims Tadhg and Derry Fleming

TikTok star Tadhg Fleming and his father Derry visited Buncrana last Thursday June 26th, where they claimed Donegal has “no chance” of lifting the Sam Maguire Cup this year. 

Tadhg and his family have been taking the internet by storm since 2017. The family became viral overnight sensations after a Facebook video showed Derry Fleming trying to catch a bat in the kitchen.

The father and son had a kickabout with youngsters from Buncrana Hearts during their visit to Inishowen and afterwards, the duo said there is “no chance of Sam coming to the Hills of Donegal.”The 64-year-old father added “It’s Kerry’s all the way. I am sorry to say that but it's Kerry’s.“

While 35-year-old Tadhg who is the brainchild behind the family's social media content agrees with his father's opinion on the shake-up for the All Ireland, “Kerry all the way 100%. The only thing they have in common with Donegal is the colours of the jersey but Kerry will come home with it hopefully.”

Though they may not believe that Donegal will lift Sam they are wary of the danger that the Ulster Champions pose especially after getting the runaround by Buncrana Hearts youngsters.  

“The talent there is great and if half of them don't play for Ireland or in the Premiership then I don't know what to say they are unbelievable,” adds Tadhg. 

Derry added that he is “getting worried with the fitness levels shown by these kids today. If the Donegal team is anything like this then Kerry will be in trouble. I thought I was fit and they ran me off the pitch.”

Donegal overcame Louth 2-22 to 0-12 in the preliminary quarter-final last week in Ballybofey and face Monaghan at 4pm today in Croke Park. 

While the Flemings will have an eye on the game they are more concerned about what lies ahead for them as they face the reigning champions Armagh 24 hours later in Croke Park at 4pm. 

Donegal fans can rest assured though that there is no chance of Kerry looking for an outside manager and trying to secure the services of Donegal maestro Jim McGuinness should the Kingdom fall at the quarter-final stage according to Derry.

Though Tadhg disagrees and added that there is always a small possibility that  McGuinness could swap the hills of Donegal for the Kingdom. “Maybe, Jacko has to pull up his socks there and if he doesn’t beat Armagh, some people will be asking questions so there might be a manager's slot on the horizon.” 

Win or lose the influencers are looking forward to renewing rivalries with Armagh again. “The last time we were in Croke Park Armagh beat us but the people were lovely,” added Tadhg. 

Derry agrees that “it's good to see Sam going around. It's great seeing young people starting in clubs and allowing them to aspire to see their seniors winning Sam. It is great seeing it moving around. Of course, we all want to win but at the end of the day it is nice to see the overall impact it has  on all clubs and communities throughout the country.”

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Tadhg’s content shows glimpses of his life and that of his family to his 3.1 million TikTok followers, 1.1 million Facebook followers, 817,000 on Instagram, and 77,000 YouTube subscribers. 

His father Derry, mother Maureen, sisters Sadhbh and Maryanne, wife Alannah, and baby daughter Rae feature in the videos.

The Flemings from Ballymacelligott in County Kerry have been entertaining the nation for the last eight years since Tadhg filmed his dad Derry’s hapless efforts at trying to chase a bat from their house with hilarious commentary.

]In the footage that has been viewed more than 30 million times, Tadhg can be heard roaring: “Come on Derry, catch him! You’re going to need a bigger towel! That’s it, get him now!” as the bat rampages around the room.

Derry clambers up on a kitchen chair to try to grab the beast but to no avail and swaps to a larger towel in a bid to capture it.

While Tadhg's terrified mother Maureen is seen hiding behind a door with her nose pressed against the glass, watching as the unusual drama unfolds.