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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Clare McCarthy

The story behind iconic RTE News clip of mystery 'man who slipped on the ice'

On January 8, 2010, a mystery man became an internet sensation when he slipped on ice on RTE News and banged his head off a wall.

Almost 13 years of speculation later, the man's identity has still never been revealed and no-one has ever come forward.

While his identity continues to elude us, there was one person who met him and witnessed the infamous fall when it happened: the RTE News cameraman.

READ MORE: Urgent snow warning issued by Met Eireann for three counties amid Arctic freeze

In a video that has resurfaced on Twitter, Colm McCaughey, the cameraman who actually filmed the clip explained what really happened on the day.

RTE News cameraman Colm McCaughey accidently caught the incident on camera (TikTok/@ColmHand)

Colm said he had set up the news camera on Church Street near the Four Courts in Dublin city when he accidently caught the incident on camera.

The mystery man walked past, lost his footing on the icy footpath, and got a "wallop" as he hit his head.

Colm recalled: "Out of nowhere this guy just came from behind me and he was just walking by the camera.

"He just went flying and hit the deck. We ran over to him like straight away because he really took quite a wallop.

"I wasn't even sure if I have been recording. It's one of those shots where you think 'Did I get that or did I not get it?' Luckily I had been in record and we got the shot."

The RTE cameraman said that the man seemed to be "okay" despite the hard knock and declined the offer of a cup of tea and rushed on home.

"We went over and he was okay," Colm said. "He was a bit shook I think and we offered him a cup of tea down in the office but he didn't want to. He just wanted to get home I think."

The famous news bulletin has become such a staple of Irish history that ten years after the incident, a plaque was erected by Coors Light in the spot where it took place paying tribute to 'The guy who slipped on the ice'.

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