One Direction's Niall Horan is Twitter's Irish king with six million followers

By Lynne Kelleher – 28 August 2012

One Direction star Niall Horan has hit the magic six million mark on Twitter -- making him the most popular Irishman on the social network site.

The 18-year-old from Mullingar now has more fans than the population of Ireland and has surpassed all other native celebrities.

The teen sensation said he was bowled over to wake up yesterday morning to find himself the Irish king of Twitter.

"What a surprise to wake up to! 6 million followers! Guys u are amazing, can't say it enough! Thank you!" said the Mullingar singer.

He is the second most popular member of his record-breaking boy band, with only heartthrob Harry Styles outstripping him with 6.3 million followers.

The nearest Irish celebrity in Twitter popularity is world number one golfer Rory McIlroy with just over a million followers.

The country's other long-standing boyband stars in Westlife and Boyzone haven't managed to get past the 300,000 mark. Globally, Lady Gaga is the queen of Twitter with more than 28 million followers.