This week the internet has been flooded with everyone talking about the “GAA Catfish.”
On Monday, the 2 Johnnies released an unexpected third instalment of their GAA Catfish series, a story that captured national attention in 2022.
Part 1 and Part 2 of the GAA Catfish story exposed an elaborate web of fake profiles which deceived scores of men in Ireland, including football players and even Johnny B himself.

Despite initial plans for a BBC documentary, the project did not proceed as the alleged catfish, who was given the fake name Nicki, declined to participate.
Now, almost three years on, the story has taken an unexpected turn.
In 2024, The 2 Johnnies were contacted by several men who believed they were being deceived by someone going by the name of ‘Aoife Kennedy’.
Upon investigation, it became clear that the original catfish, known as Cora O’Donovan, had resurfaced under a new alias.

Listeners have been captivated once again by the crazy story of this woman, Nicki, who has duped those in the GAA world for years.
Here is everything we know about the GAA Catfish from the three parts.
From fake identities to a string of lies. Take a look.
Part 1
Part 1 of the story was released in 2022 on The 2 Johnnies Podcast.
At the time, Johnny B shared his story of being catfished online in on his podcast with Johnny Smacks.
He told listeners in part one of the viral ‘Gaa Catfish’ episodes: “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.”
The presenter continued: “She’s absolutely stunning, drop-dead gorgeous. She’s from Limerick, has 15k followers and is followed by a few people I know personally and is followed by a few well-known people from the industry, from showbiz.”

“So, one night I’m looking at her stories and I said, go on. I’ll send her an old DM.”
Johnny B spent weeks texting and sending voice messages to the “Cora O’Donovan” account but every time they tried to meet up in person, she pulled out last minute and came up with different excuses.
On one occasion, she claimed her aunt had died suddenly and another time, she said she had tested positive for Covid-19.
Johnny B and Cora finally arranged to meet in the Dublin bar Ryan’s – but she once again never showed.

Cora apologised and instead invited him to breakfast the next morning at her house.
However, once again she never appeared with Johnny B only being welcomed by her housemate Nicki.
After waiting with Cora never showing Nicki, who was going out with a footballer who lived near him, drove Johnny B home.
Following this encounter, he had his suspicions and began digging.

Johnny B and Johnny Smacks came to the conclusion that the “Cora” account was fake, and that the woman behind it was running a number of fake profiles.
They came to the conclusion that Nicki, “Cora’s” supposed housemate, was behind these accounts.
The woman had been using photos, videos, and stories from different accounts on the Internet to create this elaborate catfishing scheme.
Johnny B said on the podacast at the time: “I consider myself reasonably intelligent, but in this story I was very much taken for a fool.”
Part 2
In part 2 of the series, The 2 Johnnies revealed that over 40 individuals – including GAA players and media personalities – have been catfished by these fake accounts run by Nicki.
Johnny Smacks 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.”
Following part 1, the two shared Johnny B’s catfishing story at their Three Arena show in April 2022.
After the show, a women named Muireann claimed that the photos shown on stage of “Cora” were pictures of her.

However, following a back and forth with Muireann through email – it turned out she was fake too.
As Johnny B and Johnny Smacks dug further, they revealed multiple fake by the names of Cora O’Donovan, Emma McCarron, Hannah Ferguson to name a few were all connected to Nicki.
The women has created this web of fake profiles that interact with each other – all to make them appear more real.
These accounts has catfished young men across the sports and entertainment industry for years.
There were accounts created by Nicki who appeared to be siblings, co-workers and friends all to enhance the authenticity of her deception.
Part 3
Part 3 was released nearly three years after part 1 and the story has taken an unexpected turn.
In 2024, The 2 Johnnies were contacted by several men who believed they were being deceived by someone going by the name of ‘Aoife Kennedy’.
Upon investigation, it became clear that the original catfish, known as Cora O’Donovan, had resurfaced under a new alias.
The information came to light after Johnny B and Johnny Smacks were contacted by a man who asked if they knew this women who had catfished his friend.

The man was down in Dublin in a pub and was sat beside a women who was telling the barman that she was dating a famous GAA player from up North.
The man, who happened to know the GAA player, phoned his friend to tell him he was sitting beside his girlfriend.
The GAA player told his mate that he wasn’t seeing anyone but he was chatting to someone on Instagram.
He asked his friend what she looked like because he was starting to have doubts if who he was talking to was real.

When the man described the women he was sitting beside, the GAA player expressed she sounded nothing like the gorgeous women he was chatting to online.
They devised a plan for the GAA player to text the girl he was talking to and for his friend to check if the women got the message – she did.
After concluding that his friend was being catfished, the man took a discreet picture of the women.
The sent the profile and the picture of the women to the 2 Johnnies, if they knew this women – Johnny B did, it was Nicki, the GAA Catfish.
During the episode, listeners hear the account of a man they call County Conor – after the 2 Johnnies were further contacted by many people sharing stories of being catfished by a women named Aoife Kennedy
Conor initially matched with Aoife on Tinder, and their intermittent chats on Instagram led him to suspect something was off.
However, after persistent messages from Aoife’s so-called “brother” and “friend,” he resumed contact and even arranged for her to attend one of his matches in Croke Park.
The situation took a dark turn when Aoife claimed to have been raped by a GAA player and alleged other traumatic experiences, including being forced to have an abortion.
Conor, horrified by these claims, now fears false allegations could be spread about him or others.
He has also been informed that photos of his child were posted on Aoife’s account without his consent – all after he blocked her.
The 2 Johnnies then explained that Aoife had a best friend called Emer Maher who started going out with a GAA manager who they called Manger Mick.
Johnny B and Johnny Smacks contacted Manger Mick to hear his side of the story.
The discovered that after meeting on Tinder, Emer and Mick began talking on Instagram on-and-off.
The two were supposed to meet for a date a few time – but they always fell through.
Reason for Emer not showing for dates included deaths of relatives and in one bizzare twist – her best friend Aoife Kennedy dying, the other catfish profile.
This came after the men from the start of Part 3 began warning people of a person going by the name of “Aoife Kennedy” had been catfishing people
The 2 Johnnies have acknowledged that this episode is heavier than its predecessors, but believe it is vital to share.
They highlight the broader dangers of false allegations, which can harm innocent individuals and dissuade genuine victims from coming forward. They also caution against engaging with people online without verifying their identities.
The podcast duo said: “In 2022, we never imagined revisiting The GAA Catfish. But as new stories emerged, we felt compelled to act.
“This episode is not about shaming anyone but about raising awareness and preventing further harm. It’s time to address this issue and call on social media companies to do more to combat fake profiles.”

Joining the podcast is Clinical Psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Malie Coyne, who brings her expertise as a contributor to MTV’s Catfish: The TV Show.
Dr. Coyne addresses both the catfish and their victims, urging the perpetrators to seek help: “Think of all the time and energy you’re sacrificing to deceive others. You are worthy of a healthy relationship, but to get there, you need to seek help.”
Dr. Coyne also emphasises the emotional toll on victims: “To be duped and betrayed like this is a trauma that is not taken seriously enough. It can completely disrupt your sense of trust and stability.”