# Don't Make Unnecessary Journeys
On December 5, 2015, Irish RTÉ reporter Teresa Mannion urged viewers to avoid 'unnecessary journeys' during Storm Desmond, seconds before an edited clip made it look like a stop sign smacked her mid-broadcast. Over the next decade the audio kept resurfacing, and in August 2026 it powered a TikTok mourning trend after the deaths of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry.
## Origin
RTÉ broadcast Mannion's live report from the west of Ireland on December 5, 2015, as Storm Desmond battered the coast, with her telling viewers, 'Don't make unnecessary journeys, don't take risks on treacherous roads, and don't swim in the sea'[1]. The next day, December 6, YouTuber Gerard Walsh uploaded a doctored version in which a stop sign flies into the frame and appears to strike her, a clip that collected more than 848,000 views over the following decade[2].
- **Platform:** RTÉ (broadcast) / YouTube (viral edit)
- **Creator:** Teresa Mannion (original clip) / Gerard Walsh (viral edit)
- **Date:** 2015
## Overview
Don't Make Unnecessary Journeys, also known as Reporter Hit By Sign, pairs Mannion's frantic three-part warning with visuals of public figures the poster wants to protect from harm[1]. On TikTok the audio typically plays over slideshows of aging celebrities, with captions begging them not to leave their homes[5]. The joke runs on the gap between Mannion's very sincere Galway weather report and the absurd internet uses her voice has been drafted into[1].
Earlier viral cycles focused on the doctored footage itself, in which a stop sign appears to strike Mannion mid-sentence[2]. That fake clip fooled enough viewers that Full Fact eventually rated it 'altered' in 2022[1]. The reused audio and the shock edit both circulate under the same title[4].
## How It Spread
RTÉ's The Late Late Show invited Mannion on for an interview about the viral edit on December 11, 2015, and the segment itself pulled more than 580,000 YouTube views over the years that followed[3]. The stop sign edit kept returning during major UK storms, and Full Fact ran its debunk during the Storm Dudley, Eunice and Franklin cycle in early 2022[1].
The audio started a second life on TikTok when creator x.slay.x set it to a slideshow of Julie Andrews, Stevie Nicks and David Attenborough in September 2024, framing the warning as a plea to elderly celebrities[4]. On August 26, 2026, following the deaths of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, TikToker @bylethswife posted a version listing the celebrities they most feared losing next, which pulled roughly 6 million views in its first day[5]. Copycat posts from creators such as @leahkxllyy[6] and @ludoinchains[7] followed within hours.
## How to Use
Common versions layer Mannion's audio over a slideshow of famous older figures, with on-screen captions pleading with each one to avoid roads, risks and the sea. Some creators swap in fictional characters or public figures they see as fragile, and the bit typically lands when the earnest weather-report tone crashes into the celebrity-death subtext.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Don't Make Unnecessary Journeys?
It is a viral clip of Irish RTÉ reporter Teresa Mannion warning viewers during Storm Desmond in December 2015, later reused as a TikTok audio for jokes about celebrities the poster hopes will stay safe[1].
### Where did Don't Make Unnecessary Journeys come from?
The original report aired on RTÉ on December 5, 2015, and YouTuber Gerard Walsh uploaded the doctored stop sign version a day later[2].
### What does Don't Make Unnecessary Journeys mean?
On TikTok the line has been repurposed as a mock plea to aging celebrities not to risk anything that could kill them, especially after the deaths of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry in August 2026[5].
### How do you use Don't Make Unnecessary Journeys?
Creators overlay Mannion's audio on a slideshow of celebrities they fear losing, using her three warnings as captions[4].
### Is Don't Make Unnecessary Journeys still popular?
Yes, the audio was trending on TikTok in late August 2026, with @bylethswife's post alone hitting about 6 million views in its first day[5].
## References
1. [https://fullfact.org/online/reporter-sign-video/]()
2. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtWNknwUCE8]()
3. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VziGCR5f2Q]()
4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/dont-make-unnecessary-journeys-reporter-hit-by-sign]()
5. [https://www.tiktok.com/@bylethswife/video/7678060066624326925]()
6. [https://www.tiktok.com/@leahkxllyy/video/7678373891236007190]()
7. [https://www.tiktok.com/@ludoinchains/video/7678413023152704790]()
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Source: https://meme.com/memes/dont-make-unnecessary-journeys-reporter-hit-by-sign
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