The Man Who Slipped on the Ice

On 8 January 2010, during a RTÉ Six One News report, a male pedestrian slipped on ice in Dublin, Ireland, near the Four Courts.[1][2] The man became known as "The Man Who Slipped on the Ice"[3] after the video of him slipping and falling went viral online, gaining several million views on YouTube and RTÉ's website.[3][4] Ten years later, on 8 January 2020, Coors Light erected a plaque at the location in Dublin in commemoration of the incident's tenth anniversary.[1][3]

Incident

During the winter of 2009–10 in Ireland (the coldest winter in the country since 1987),[5][6] John Kilraine reported on a man slipping and falling on the ice, shouting "Oh shit" as he fell. The video was recorded on Church Street near the Four Courts in Dublin[1] as part of RTÉ's early evening news broadcast Six One showcasing the effects of the poor weather and how Dublin City Council was working on removing slush from the streets.[2][7] The report was introduced by Bryan Dobson.[3] The event was recorded by Colm McCaughey after he set up his camera on Church Street and accidentally caught the incident on camera. After the man slipped, McCaughey ran over to check that he was okay; he was offered a cup of tea at a nearby office but declined and hurried home.[8][9] McCaughey later tweeted that the man was either Korean or Chinese.[9] When the video was shown during the news report, Kilraine stated that "Dublin pavements remain very dangerous, although this man was not seriously hurt." Following the news broadcast, the video of the man falling quickly became viral online.[4]

Legacy

Following the incident, several Facebook groups were created to try to identify the man, and many people on the site claimed to be the man who fell.[10] Sasha Brady of the Irish Independent reported that a Facebook site called "We have found the RTE fall guy" [sic] identified the man as being from Navan, County Meath.[10] However, the man's identity is still unknown.[11][8][9]

On 8 January 2020, Coors Light erected a plaque at the site of the incident to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the event as part of an ad campaign.[1][3] Conor McIntyre, Senior Brand Manager, Coors Light, said: "There are a few key moments on Irish television that are memorable enough to talk about again and again. We felt this deserved a resurgence. We've recently completed The Rockies Awards, rewarding victories in life, big and small, and we thought this lad definitely deserved some recognition for making it on to RTÉ News, ten years ago!" The plaque states "In honour of 'The guy who slipped on the ice' on RTÉ News January 8th 2010, your memory lives on"[7][12] In 2021, the video was played at the start of the sixth season of RTÉ's Reeling in the Years.[1][13]

Ian Mangan of Dublin Live claimed that "RTE viewers all got an incredible amount of nostalgic fun by reminiscing over 'The man who slipped on the ice'" when RTÉ played it on Reeling in the Years and called it a true Irish icon from a famous bulletin. Offaly Express claimed that the video was one of the "most-watched RTE News clips of all-time" and that Coors Light's plaque was paying tribute to a legend.[14] In 2026, Colum Motherway of Extra.ie called it one of the most iconic moments on Irish TV history and claimed that "The footage of the mans slip has likely been seen by nearly everyone in the country at this stage, unless they have been living under a rock for the past 16 years." and that "Every year, whenever temperatures take a dip, someone on social media is bound to share the clip once more."[7] The Daily Edge claimed that the man became a national symbol of the struggle of the Irish winter[15] and that they were convinced their own Niall Kelly was the person that fell, although Kelly has denied these claims.[3]

The incident also spawned a mockumentary by Tom Walsh and Kevin McGahern on the aftermath of the incident and how the man dealt with the "fame" where the man is identified as "Brendan Adhere".[4][3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Mangan, Ian (12 April 2021). "Who was mystery 'man who slipped on the ice' on RTE News? All we know about him 11 years on". DublinLive.ie. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Cold Conditions Cause Problems 2010". RTÉ Archives. Archived from the original on 8 January 2026. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g O'Connell, Hugh (22 December 2011). "Remember the man who slipped on the ice? Here's what happened next..." Daily Edge. Archived from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  4. ^ a b c Pattison, Brynmor (8 January 2016). "Video: Five years ago today, this guy slipped and fell on the ice on RTE News". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  5. ^ "Past Weather Statements". click "archive" and search January 2010: Met Éireann. Retrieved 7 February 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  6. ^ "January 2010". The Met Office. Archived from the original on 9 December 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  7. ^ a b c Motherway, Colum (8 January 2026). "One of Ireland's most viral TV moments marks 16th anniversary". Extra.ie. Archived from the original on 10 January 2026. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  8. ^ a b McCarthy, Clare (11 December 2022). "The story behind iconic RTE News clip of mystery 'man who slipped on the ice'". Irish Mirror. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  9. ^ a b c "Infamous moment man slipped on ice live on Irish TV commemorated with plaque". Irish Central. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  10. ^ a b Brady, Sasha (22 November 2016). "WATCH: Remember the 'Man Who Slipped on the Ice on the Six One'? His 'true story' has finally been uncovered". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  11. ^ "Who Was The Man Who Slipped On The Ice?". goosed. 8 January 2024. Archived from the original on 7 September 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  12. ^ O'Connor, Rachael (7 January 2020). "A plaque has appeared in Dublin in honour of 10 years since the infamous 'Man slips on Ice'". The Irish Post. Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  13. ^ "2010: Reeling In The Years". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Archived from the original on 11 November 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  14. ^ Kelly, Justin (7 January 2020). "Plaque erected to 'guy who slipped on the ice' on RTE News in 2010". Offaly Express. Archived from the original on 25 December 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  15. ^ McLysaght, Emer (15 January 2016). "9 Irish people embodying the spirit of The Man Who Slipped on the Ice". The Daily Edge. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
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