Long before there was Kneecap, Hector Ó hEochagáin was paving the way forward for the Irish language.
The Louth man has been an advocate for all things as Gailege for years, and widely goes by his first name alone for his many shows and docuseries.
Now, though, after so many years in the spotlight, fans were stunned to learn that Hector is not actually the TV presenter’s real name.
Síomha Ní Ruairc, & Hector Ó hEochagáin, TG4. Pic: Martina Regan
Hector made the admission during an appearance on the 2 Johnnies podcast during a chat about nicknames.
When asked by Johnny B if he ever had a nickname, Hector replied: ‘I was called loads of nicknames and then one stuck, my nickname stuck.
The clearly confused host asked what his nickname was now, only for him to reply: ‘My name.’
Hector Ó hEochagáint. Pic: Martina Regan
Still startled, Johnny attempted to clarify that Hector wasn’t his real name, only for him to reply: ‘WTF, Do you think my father in 1969 [decided to call me Hector].’
Hector went to explain: ‘We were doing Latin in first year [of school], Kelloggs had these reflectors on the bikes and Jody Schecktor in Formula One, and we were doing Hector the Protector in Latin, and were all there at the back of Latin class … [messing around saying] “Schecktor, there’s Hector the Protector.”
‘And then they started calling me Hector, and it stuck.’
When asked about his real name, the host admitted that ‘it’s so far back’ that it feels alien to him, as he hasn’t used it since he was a child.
‘It’s mad when you say that name now to me because I feel like I’m eight, because from the age of 11, it was all different for me.’
So what is his actual name? Well, it’s Shane Keoghan, and Johnny wasn’t the only one stunned by the revelation.
‘My mind is blown,’ wrote one person, while another added, ‘Stop… what!!!!’ and a third chimed in to say: ‘You learn something new every day.’