The location where RTE recorded a man slipping on ice

This is the location where RTE recorded its iconic news clip of a man slipping on ice.

It is situated outside of St. Michan's Church on Church Street, Dublin.

On January 8th, 2010, RTE cameraman Colm McCaughey was recording footage of an icy footpath near the Four Courts when a man slipped and hit his head.

When the man fell, McCaughey and the other crew members rushed over to make sure that he was OK. Fortunately, he wasn't seriously hurt.

It was only after they helped the man that they realized the incident had been caught on camera.

At the time, Ireland was experiencing one of its coldest winters in decades. Schools were closed and pipes were bursting. There had also been a significant amount of snowfall the day before.

The wintry conditions, combined with a shortage of rock salt, left Dublin City Council in a situation where it was struggling to keep the roads and pavements ice-free.

By January, the situation had become so hazardous that the council was forced to hire private contractors to clear footpaths around the city.

RTE used the clip at the start of a news segment about a potential rise in personal injury claims.

The footage of the man falling caught many viewers off guard. This is because RTE is Ireland's national broadcaster, and it usually avoids airing anything that the public might consider shocking or in poor taste.

Within seconds, social media was alight with people expressing their amusement about the clip. Shortly afterwards, the video went viral on websites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Bebo.

Because the man in question has never come forward or been identified, he is simply known as "the man who slipped on ice."

In January of 2020, Coors Light decided to mark the 10-year anniversary of the fall by erecting a commemorative plaque on the wall outside St. Michan's Church. However, judging by Google Street View images, the plaque had been removed by May of 2021 (it is possible that they only erected it for the photograph).

Further information is available in the "Photos" section below.

Photos

Photos of the street and other related images.

Then and now

The screenshot at the top shows the man after he slipped on the icy footpath. The Google Street View image at the bottom was captured in July of 2022.

The red circle marks the exact spot where he fell.