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GE2024Sound Quality Gifts
IF YOU ARE on TikTok I would wager that you have seen at least one of Helen Drumm’s videos.
The glitzy gift store owner is not afraid to have a bit of fun and doesn’t take herself too seriously online.
With over 65,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, Drumm regularly posts clips promoting her (often quirky) gift products, ending every video with a wink and reminder of where to find her: “It all happens here, at sound Quality Gifts, Monaghan…Ireland.”
Sound Quality Gifts’ TikTok account first went viral with a video of Drumm promoting one of her exclusive ‘rainshader’ umbrellas.
“That put us on the map,” Drumm told The Journal today, “We’re the only shop in the world with it.”
Drumm also clocked up serious views (1.7m) last summer with a video of herself and her staff, some looking a little uncomfortable it has to be said, all dolled up in pink ready to go see the blockbuster Barbie film.
Drum’s business acumen is unquestionable, with the Monaghan woman easily tapping into social media trends and using them as a way to market and drive traffic to her store.
Her videos often involve singing and dancing of some sort, most usually jiving.
She’s also no stranger to visits from stars in the country music industry, Nathan Carter, Declan Nerney and Ireland’s ‘first lady of country music’ Susan McCann, to name a few.
Such is her influence that Drumm had not one, but two political party leaders drop into her store yesterday while out on the campaign trail.
Taoiseach Simon Harris and Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald were both clearly hoping for a viral moment of their own when they paid her a visit just hours apart.
In clips posted on social media, McDonald and Harris are both seen to receive a warm welcome from Drumm.
Harris exclaimed “The TikTok Queen!” as the pair embraced in a warm hug before Drumm asked the Taoiseach to jive with her.
“Ah you’re not bad at all,” she said as they ended their dance to applause from staff and Harris’s campaign team.
“Sound Quality Gifts for all your sound quality needs,” Harris told the TV cameras that were trailing him, whatever that means.
Just a few hours later, Drumm’s account uploaded another jiving video, this time with Mary Lou McDonald who can be heard joking: “The things I will do for a vote.”
“It’s an open door policy in my shop,” Drumm told The Journal, adding that both politician’s teams had checked with her earlier in the day if it was okay for them to stop by.
“I’m not linked to any politician, I’ve been asked to get into politics by some local people and political parties but I think I’m better off where I am entertaining the people.”
Having been in business for almost 39 years, diversifying from just music into gifts during that time, Drumm knows exactly how difficult it is to keep things ticking over.
“I’ve seen three recessions in that time and had to cut my cloth to suit my table,” Drumm said.
Given this, did she have a particular message for either leader yesterday?
“Unfortunately because they were both flying I didn’t get the opportunity.
“But I would have told them that it is very important to support small businesses,” Drumm said, adding that people in the locality are also acutely impacted by the cost-of-living, the cost of housing, issues in healthcare and the costs associated with third-level education.
Drumm kept her card close to her chest when it came to her personal view of both politicians, giving nothing away.
She didn’t however hold back when it came to assessing their dance skills.
“Mary Lou was in with me before the summer and I’ve seen some improvement since then. Simon though, he needs to visit Monaghan a little more.”
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O Christ I hate when Enda goes anywhere. As an Irishman he usually brings out a sense of shame in me anytime he opens his mouth!!!
Thank god Europe doesn’t see him the same way!
A sense of shame is a national character trait, along with begrudgery, catholic guilt and pessimism – sitting uncomfortably with a peculiar self-importance and superiority complex.
”election” my arse, picked in a back filled room based on who’s going to be the biggest wh–re to the army of lobbyists that cling around Brussels
Any chance they could keep him there?
There is, actually!
Only if they lost the receipt Kerry…otherwise they can return him within 30 days..
Tusk would be a decent appointment. His foreign minister, Sikorsky would be even better but is too Atlanticist and a bit too much of a Polish Leo Varadkar to get the job. So long as the post doesn’t go to that Italian, it’ll be grand.
Umm, a word about the democratic “deficit” present in this election. These heads of government have more of an electoral mandate than almost all MEPs, based on the frankly abysmal turnouts for European elections of late. Added to that, few European republics directly elected their own presidents. So calm down.
Well done on actually talking about the subject of the article Fergal.
The point on what I term competing democratic mandates is true. MEPs increasingly seek more power in the face of ever decreasing turnouts in elections primarily focused on national issues than European ones. Despite early figures suggesting otherwise, the last European elections had the lowest ever turnout.
So there really is an argument that Kenny (elected on 70% turnout), Merkel (elected on 71% turnout) and Hollande (elected on 80% turnout) do have more of a democratic mandate than MEPs elected on around 40% turnout.
Jurgen Habermas, the famous German Sociologist and Europhile wrote a excellent piece where he described Europe as now being Post-democratic as a result of the machinations in the EU.
That is what the EU’s friends are saying.
Flying Ryanair business class to save us some money I trust.
Why can’t the people elect the candidates to these top jobs?
Limerick people don’t want that idiot coming to Limerick.
Says the self-appointed spokesperson of all Limerick people I suppose?
Don’t tell me he is going to miss the Mayo attempt to beat Kerry? Does he not like the Gaelic Grounds either??
What on earth are you on about ‘Does he not like the Gaelic Grounds either??’? Do some research next time you jump on the “Down with Enda” bandwagon!
While any Irish politician with a brain would certainly be racing home for the GAA, Enda *may* have more pressing work to do in Brussels!
In fairness to Enda any politician that goes out of his way to be seen at a game of any kind needs to be beaten with a stick and any voter that is influenced by them going or not needs to be beaten around the head with an iron bar.
Bertie was and is an avid sports fan… part of his “man of the people” image.
Would love to beat him with a stick…
He’ll have to be back in limerick for the game this evening
God I hate those ‘Enda goes to…’ films too, they got so repetitive.
It’s the country Enda not the vegetable. ….you vegetable
Enda and Dara … a handy double to lead us on the front line of the European borders… .
have your say