ARE THE TEENS in your life a little on edge today? Have you spotted groups of youths around Dublin chanting “If you’re pointless and you know it, clap your hands”?

It might be because Alfie Deyes is in town.

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Alfie Deyes (or PointlessBlog) is one of the new generation of YouTube stars, sharing almost every detail of his life with his four million subscribers.

As crazy as it sounds, this has proved to be successful – so successful, in fact, that he recently purchased a £1 million home with his girlfriend, fellow YouTuber Zoe Sugg.

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Deyes is in Dublin today to promote his second (yes, second!) book – The Pointless Book 2, a diary-style book filled with “fun activities” for his fans to try.

Fears of hordes descending on Easons O’Connell Street for the signing this morning were so strong, the location was not revealed to the 500 lucky ticket holders until yesterday.

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Outside Easons this morning, the queue of fans waiting to meet Deyes stretched back for almost half of Abbey Street.

At the top of the queue inside were Rachel, Nadine and Katie, who waited for seven hours at Dublin Airport on Thursday, on the off-chance that Deyes might fly in.
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Yesterday, they followed him around the city, journeying out to RTÉ and then on to the Spin 1038 buildings – even running after Deyes’ car at one point.

“We got on his Snapchat Story!” they told DailyEdge.ie breathlessly.

Deyes finally arrives (late, naturally) to screams and chants of “We love you Alfie, we do”:
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As would befit a YouTube celebrity, Deyes does not do a regular book signing. He does selfies, which are precisely what the fans want.

Some come bearing gift bags full of carefully selected presents – we could spot sweets, Tayto, hats, and handwritten notes among the piles of gifts.

The fans are ushered up to Deyes – some shaking, others crying – who gives them a big hug and spends a couple of moments chatting with them before taking the picture and moving on.
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Deyes frequently whips out a little camera to record the proceedings for his YouTube channel - one fan to receive the great honour of being filmed is Abby from Newbridge.

She’s made a giant collage to give to the YouTuber, which has personal messages from Abby and her friends written on the back.

“I found his first video a few months after he uploaded it, six years ago,” she said. “He’s so funny, and such a genuine person.”

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Easons staff are on hand to take pictures for those whose hands were too shaky to do it themselves – Milly from Ballybrack is in tears after Deyes followed her on Twitter on the spot.

“I need to call my mum!” she exclaimed.

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I was like, “Alfie, it’s 11:11am and you were my 11:11 wish for yesterday” – so he went on his Twitter account and followed me. I’m so excited! It’s been so amazing.

Many of the fans here to meet Deyes say they feel they know him like a friend, preferring the personal daily vlogs about his life to the more general ‘challenge’ videos he became famous for.

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“With his vlogs especially, you feel like you get to know him,” said Rachel from Kildare. “It’s like you’re talking to him.”

For some fans, it goes a little deeper than that. Kelly from Dublin says Deyes inspires her, and many others, to be themselves:

He’s such a kind person, and so funny. I think people look up to him because he is himself, and everyone wants to try to be themselves.

This YouTube phenomenon has arrived in Dublin and Irish teens are losing it>