WATCH Shane McCarthy uses his platform to raise awareness and have the real conversations

Shane McCarthy uses his platform to raise awareness and have the real conversations

TikTok star Shane McCarthy has built a strong following on social media through his authenticity and by raising awareness while having real conversations

Shane McCarthy has built an online following by being himself, dedicating his platform to authenticity, real conversations, and humour, but says the lifestyle comes with both positive and negative challenges.

Speaking to I Love Limerick about his growing profile, Shane said becoming well known for authenticity can be nerve-wracking, as it brings “so much love and so much hate” at the same time. 

Shane told I Love Limerick, “ It’s a nerve-wracking thing because you’re exposed to so much love and so much hate online, and stuff like that. But the one thing that keeps me going is: to other people it might be just a platform for fun, but I know that, for example, a time like this, I can use it to help other people, not just myself.”

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Shane spoke with I Love Limerick’s Richard Lynch when the TikTok star, along with other local influencers, paid a visit to Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention to shine al ight on the cause, as well as promoting their upcoming ‘Come Dine With Us‘ Christmas special that will raise breast cancer awareness.

He said, “ I’m raising awareness because I can still have my fun, but if you can’t take some time out of your life to like raise awareness to things like this, then what are you doing it for really?”

A proud Kerryman, Shane is also widely known for speaking openly about diversity and inclusion. He has consistently challenged stereotypes about the travelling community, emphasising that travellers are simply people who deserve respect. 

He told I Love Limerick, “ I feel like I touch on different things like LGBTQ+, being a traveller, and I have friends who are from different backgrounds, ethnicities, minorities, and cultures. And as long as you are nice to me, and I know it sounds so cliché, I am just happy to take a person for who they are, genuinely.”

Although Kerry is home, Shane has developed a strong connection with Limerick, where much of his work now takes place. He said, “ I love Limerick people. I love everyone, but Limerick people are my type of people. And even though I love Kerry as well, I suppose it’s the bigger city. It tends to be a lot of my work. And I suppose, naturally, over time, without choosing, I ended up steering this way more.

“There’s a lot of content creators or just friends in general that I have up here. And it just happened more naturally. But I love Limerick.”

Shane is also known for his openness about personal topics, including hair transplants and cosmetic procedures. He believes honesty is important, especially when dealing with younger audiences. He said, “I’m so honest about them because, even with going to Turkey and doing all these things, I also want to highlight how important it is that maybe things can go wrong and not just everything is perfect, and it’s not about them looking good, it’s about highlighting it.

Those younger people who could watch you, you could steer them in a bad direction. So, at least if you’re doing that, be honest about the outcome of them!”

Shane has had a sensational year which has seen his following rise to almost 200,000 on TikTok, and in October, the influencer announced his new podcast, “I said What I Said with Shane McCarthy”, where he sits down each week for honest, hilarious, and unfiltered chats about life, love, pop culture, and everything in between.