The now famous cherry tomato bridge in Drumcondra, Dublin.@.tapped, TikTok

Forget Trinity College and the Guinness Storehouse - Dublin's hottest attraction is a pile of cherry tomatoes on a bridge in Drumcondra, thanks to an unexpected but wholesome Internet meme.

As with the best Internet trends, the explanation behind the cherry tomatoes in Dublin is simple - there is none.

Instead, it's an unassuming observation that's been seized on and expanded upon by locals as a bit of good-natured fun.

And who can argue with that?

The first mention of the now-famous cherry tomatoes in Dublin appeared on January 7 on local woman Kelly Earley's Instagram page @KellysRubbish, where she posts photos of rubbish in Dublin.

Dublin's cherry tomatoes, however, didn't exactly go viral until they appeared on TikTok in a clip posted by author Sarah Maria Griffin under her handle @sarahgriffski on January 9.

"On my morning walk, I found these cherry tomatoes, frozen on the bridge," she captioned her video (rather poetically, we must add.)

"Some were sliced in half. Others still whole. Red, under the ice.

"I want you to know this: I didn't eat them. I am a normal person and have really great impulse control."

Within four days, the TikTok racked up more than 1.1 million views, more than 143k likes, and more than 1200 comments.

@sarahgriffski i am a normal person and i can be trusted x #fyp #tomatoes #tomato #diary #foryoupage #tomatogirl #dailyroutine ♬ original sound - Blade of Eleonora

The phenomenon of the cherry tomatoes in Dublin grew when, over on X, user @rebtool inserted them into another Internet meme, "If You're 20-30 and Your Main Circle Isn't Discussing..."

The day after Griffin's TikTok, Earley returned to the tomato scene for a post on her TikTok page @.tapped, masterfully blending it with a long-running TikTok trend using the song "Still Falling For You" by Ellie Goulding.

@.tapped #dublin #fyp #tomatoes #thingstodo #ireland #cherrytomatoes #winter #fruit #wlw ♬ Still Falling For You - From "Bridget Jones's Baby" - Ellie Goulding

The cherry tomato trend snowballed when X user @NickyRyan_ posted on January 10 that having seen the Drumocndra tomatoes, he knows what it truly means to be alive.

Meanwhile, others began to craft the lore of the Dublin tomatoes, with some envisioning it as a sort of pilgrimage site ...

@pixibleps #drumcondra #cherrytomato #pilgrimage #holyland #fresh #dublin #bridge ♬ The Holy Ground - The Mary Wallopers

...while others professed an "ancient Irish tradition" where slicing a tomato and leaving it on Drumcondra Bridge will bring "eternal luck:"

@cianmooney Is this too niche? 📸 Photo credits: @Pixi #drumcondra #tomato #dublin #cherrytomatobridge ♬ I'm Shipping Up To Boston - Dropkick Murphys

In a follow-up post two days later, Griffin shared that the tomatoes were still there.

"Friends I just wanted to let you know that my evening walk took me by our tomatoes once more. 

"The ice has gone, but their scarlet bodies remain."

@sarahgriffski they have a kind of resilience about them don’t they. anyway i have never done anything weird in my life and just took this video out of respect for the tomatoes survival xxx #tomatoes #dublin #fyp #foryou #diary #dailyroutine #walk #writersoftiktok #tomato #salad ♬ Everything is romantic featuring caroline polachek - Charli xcx & Caroline Polachek

In a subsequent post, Griffin addressed the unexpected trend, writing: "I know they [the tomatoes] are bringing many people joy now.

"I just wanted to say that this has been fun!

"I am glad we could be brought together by the surrealism and sweetness of the tomatoes on the bridge. 

"I am also glad we all agree that nobody here did anything outside of regular, ordinary behaviour.

"It is so special that we could all appreciate the tomatoes in a normal, wholesome way, before they inevitably, like all beautiful things in nature, disappear."

On Sunday, Griffin visited the cherry tomatoes once more "just in case this whole fiasco runs its course sooner rather than later."

She added: "I love the internet and I love dublin."

@sarahgriffski strange but lovely times. the bridge was crowded when we came by. there were white roses and pictures and candles. i love the internet and i love dublin 🍅✨ #dublin #fyp #bridgetomatoes #tomatoes #foryou #writersoftiktok #diary #walks ♬ Everything is romantic featuring caroline polachek - Charli xcx & Caroline Polachek

Sadly, it appears that Dublin's cherry tomato landmark is no more as of Monday afternoon:

Rest in peace, Dublin tomatoes, you were too good for this world.