Niamh Farrell, who teaches music and Irish at Coláiste Éanna boys school in Rathfarnham in Dublin, was back teaching in the school today, March 20, after she was granted a temporary injunction on Wednesday to stop a disciplinary process against her brought by the school.
She had been due to attend a disciplinary meeting before the school's board of management next Tuesday which could have led to her dismissal but she called the process "completely flawed and unlawful."
This comes after a number of podcast episodes by The 2 Johnnies told the story of how scores of men around the country - mostly GAA players - had been targeted and tricked by the same woman behind a network of fake profiles on Instagram, mainly using the alias Cora O'Donovan.
The first two installments of the GAA Catfish podcast landed in May 2022 followed by jaw-dropping third episode in January 2025, claiming that the Catfish was still active with new profiles and a new fake name, Aoife Kennedy.
The GAA Catfish was not named by The 2 Johnnies in the podcasts but following their release, there was speculation on online gossip forums about the person's true identity.
Niamh Farrell said in her sworn statement submitted to the high court that she became aware that allegations were made online naming her as the 'GAA Catfish' in May 2022 however, she strongly denied these claims and said they caused her "significant distress."
In her report, she claimed that she told Coláiste Éanna principal that she was aware about these allegations made online but did not accept at any point that she had engaged in catfishing activities and said there was no evidence to support these claims.
Earlier this month, she was informed of an investigation report prepared for a disciplinary process which she said references "unfounded and hearsay allegations made against me online," according to the Irish Times.
She said it was completely unclear what the allegations of misconduct made against her were and said that her dismissal would have "catastrophic consequences" for her teaching career and reputation.
Ms. Farrell was granted an interim injunction by Mr. Justice Brian Cregan stopping the disciplinary process from going ahead next Tuesday.
Despite the high court injunction, it was business as usual for Niamh Farrell as she attended school and taught classes at Coláiste Éanna on Thursday, sources told EVOKE.
The case will be back before the court next week where the school will have an opportunity to respond and Ms. Farrell will be seeking more permanent orders to stop any further steps in the disciplinary process.
*This article was originally published on Evoke.ie.
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