The 2 Johnnies' GAA Catfish explained: Everything you need to know
The 2 Johnnies made waves with the latest chapter of their 'GAA Catfish' series in January. Catfishing, the act of tricking someone into a relationship through a fake online identity, was made famous by MTV's "Catfish: The TV Show." Last year, Johnny 'B' O'Brien and his podcast partner Johnny 'Smacks' McMahon dropped a two-part warning about catfishing on their show. In January 2025, they've released a third episode, sparking fiery conversations across social media as they delve deeper into stories of alleged deceit. And the story took yet another turn today, when a school stopped disciplinary proceedings against a teacher who claimed she was falsely identified as the Catfish. The High Court in Dublin heard on Wednesday that disciplinary proceedings have ended and a report that identified the secondary school teacher as the person the podcast relates to has been withdrawn. Niamh Farrell, of The Spires, Portadown, Co Armagh, had been granted a temporary injunction against the board of management of the school at which she works in Rathfarnham, Dublin, preventing Colaiste Eanna CBS from progressing disciplinary proceedings against her which could have resulted in her dismissal. Statista reports that 22% of individuals have encountered catfishing firsthand between 2022 and 2023, reports RSVP Live. And the cautionary tale from the Tipperary natives warns against trusting people you meet online, and has been told in three parts. Here's the breakdown: Part One Johnny B recounts becoming single and being followed by an Instagram account with photos of a stunning woman named "Cora O'Donovan", and their connection seemed promising. He shared: "Last year, I became single. It's never easy, no matter what way it goes. And in January, around Christmas time, this girl follows me on Instagram. "She's absolutely stunning. Drop-dead gorgeous. She's from Limerick and has 15,000 followers, and it's followed by a few people I know personally. "So, one night I'm looking at her stories and I said, go on. I'll send her an old DM." After some back and forth, he and "Cora" plan to link up, but every time there's always something and the meet-up never happens. Then, on a night out in Dublin, the 2 Johnnies get a buzz from the account promising they'd finally see each other in a well-known pub that evening. They rock up to the pub only to be greeted by someone the podcast duo dub "Nikki," claiming to be "Cora's" roommate. But there is no sign of anyone claiming to be "Cora," nor a spot of anyone who looks like the snaps online. The lads crack on with their night elsewhere but, in the morning, Johnny B receives some messages from the “Cora” account, apologising for not showing up, and invites the 2 Johnnies to come to her house for breakfast that morning. Johnny B heads over to the address, where once again, "Nikki" does the welcoming honours. According to them, "Cora" has nipped off to the shops, but will be back any minute. After spending some time in the house, having breakfast and waiting for “Cora” to no avail, Johnny says he decided it was time to leave, and takes “Nikki” up on the offer of a lift from Dublin to Tipperary. After discussing the continued no-shows of the person he has been communicating with on the “Cora” Instagram account, Johnny B and Johnny Smacks came to the conclusion that the “Cora” account was fake, and are of the opinion that “Nikki” was behind it all, leading them to tell the story of Johnny B's catfishing experience. The pair believe she's been nicking photos, clips, and stories from various social media profiles to craft some convincing online identities. Johnny B confessed: "I consider myself reasonably intelligent, but in this story I was very much taken for a fool." Part Two In the second instalment, the 2 Johnnies claim they've stumbled upon loads of men who've been deceived by or approached by fake accounts linked to the puppeteer of the phony "Cora" profile that had Johnny B hooked. They said: "Here's the thing. This is something that you see on Catfish the television show and you think 'that only happens in America'. "This has happened in Ireland to a lot of people and a lot of people that we all know in the entertainment industry in the GAA, everywhere." They found a number of profiles with elements that would indicate they were fake, going by various names using photographs of different women. These profiles would all communicate with one another, which reinforced the impression of authenticity that the personas had. The podcasting pair issued a warning about online interactions. "We're never going to reveal the identity of anyone that's connected to this story. All we can hope is that this catfishing stops and anyone who is tempted to do something realises how wrong that is," Johnny Smacks stated. "And also there was nothing illegal in this, there's nobody who has been asked for money or tried to be scammed from these accounts. We need to state that but look, these people have been affected by this, their lives have been affected and it needs to stop." Part Three Following the release of the initial episodes in 2022, The 2 Johnnies podcasts surprised listeners with a third part of the series in January. The episode aimed to update listeners on alleged developments in the story since the first podcasts were aired. They mentioned that the alleged catfish, still referred to as "Nikki" in pseudonym, declined to take part in a proposed BBC documentary about the saga following the release of the initial podcast episodes. Due to this refusal, the 2 Johnnies didn't feel it was appropriate to proceed with the project, leading to its suspension. According to the podcasters, several men reached out to them last year, believing they had fallen victim to catfishing. After investigating the provided information, the podcasters suspected that "Nikki" might be behind these interactions, using the alias Aoife Kennedy. The "Aoife" account allegedly used images of a well-known influencer. In the third episode, a man referred to as "Conor" shared his experience. He claimed that after connecting with "Aoife" on a dating app, things initially went well but took a disturbing turn when the person shared stories of traumatic life events. The podcasters are now urging social media companies to take action against fake profiles, stating, "It's time to address this issue and call on social media companies to do more to combat fake profiles." Dr Malie Coyne, a clinical psychologist, appeared on the episode, explaining the motivations behind catfishing behaviour and the impact on victims. She stressed that the trauma caused by being "duped and betrayed" by a catfish is often underestimated. Dr Coyne added: "It can completely disrupt your sense of trust and stability." Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
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