‘Proud day for the 2 Johnnies’: Podcasting duo react to catfish saga featuring in English paper

Remember the GAA catfish? The story features in this year's Leaving Cert Applied English paper

The 2 Johnnies featured in the State exams today, with an article about their 'GAA catfish' story being included in a paper. Picture: Ruth Medjber @ruthlessimagery

It was the story that captivated the country last year: in the summer of 2022 the 2 Johnnies shared Johnny B O’Brien’s catfish story with listeners of their podcast in what the Tipperary natives dubbed ‘ The GAA catfish’.

Over the course of two podcast episodes, the Tipperary natives issued a cautionary tale, revealing the details of a serial catfisher who is believed to have been in contact with over 30 men, including host Johnny B.

A catfish is someone who sets up a fake online profile in order to trick people – usually those looking for love. Often, this is a way to scam people out of money but that does not seem to be the case with the GAA catfish.

Now, the tale has taken on an academic twist with the story being referenced in today’s English Paper 1 for Leaving Cert Applied students. An article from the Irish Times was printed as part of the Communications and the Digital World section of the exam.

Referencing the paper, the 2 Johnnies shared their delight and amusement at their inclusion.

To all the teachers who said we would never amount to anything, Johnnie B says.

“Shout out to my Junior Cert English teacher who told me to do Pass, I did Honours and look at me now (still can’t spell). It’s crazy to us that it’s on the Leaving Cert, but it’s great that young people are reading about it, hopefully no one else gets catfished!” 

His co-host Johnny Smacks says it is a “proud day” for the pair.

“I never thought when 18-year-old me sat to do his Leaving Cert wearing a vest top because just got a fresh tattoo on his arm, and he didn’t want to mark it, that we’d be in the Leaving Cert, proud day for the 2 Johnnies,” he says.

The Tipperary natives recently released a new song about Cork city and a scenario that the pair describe as a Cork person’s worst nightmare. It comes ahead of the 2 Johnnies Pints in a Field at Musgrave Park later this month.

The State exams started today with Leaving Cert English Paper 1 and Junior Cycle English.