A Kildress-born man, Pablo McGeary (55), has finally broken his silence and admitted that he was pretending to be Spanish since 1990 to avoid small talk at social occasions, as he ‘hated all that shite’.

Although many close friends and family members definitely remembered him talking normally in his youth and his birth certificate registering him in the townland of Cloughfin, Pablo (real name Peter) decided he was Spanish in 1990 after a torrid evening at a family Christening listening to relatives.

Over time, people accepted his change of nationality, with Pablo communicating with nods, hands, and the phrase ‘no comprendo inglés’.

Pablo’s cover was blown at a recent Kildress GAA match against Aghaloo after he shouted ‘will ye let it in ye bollocks’ after becoming frustrated at Kildress overplaying the ball.