"Man dug tunnel from home to the pub and drank every night while his wife slept."
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No, an Irishman did not dig a tunnel from his home to his pub
How the Irish man saved his marriage: by digging a hole from under his home to a nearby pub to escape his snoring wife. That’s according to Men’s Corner, a website that claims to provide "a measured dose of humor" and "the latest information from all the fields which can be significant for the modern man."
The article doesn’t have a date but the earliest comment is from Oct. 7, 2017, and it was recently revived on social media. This story was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
"Man dug tunnel from home to the pub and drank every night while his wife slept," the headline says. The determined human excavator’s name is Patsy K., according to Men’s Corner. He is a plumber from Omagh, in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, who was inspired to build his own secret tunnel after watching the 1994 film, "The Shawshank Redemption." In that movie, an inmate played by actor Tim Robbins methodically burrows a tunnel out of the prison to find freedom.
According to Men’s Corner, Patsy K. spent 15 years burrowing under his bed to his local bar 800 meters away. His stunt was discovered after he accidentally hit a sewage pipe, causing it to blow under his neighbor’s house. That’s when Patsy K. received a court summons, the story says.
Using a form provided on Men’s Corner’s website under "Contact Us," we sent an email seeking more information about the story. Someone replied under the name "Tesanj Teslic," which are towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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"Hi Ciara, I work for Men’s Corner," the person wrote. "This is an old post, the source we used no longer exists for some reason, so it can turn out that this story is not quite true. But you can check in the Omagh County Court (Northern Ireland) where this allegedly happened."
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service Press Team said officials couldn’t search for current or disposed cases without the full name of the defendant, the court that they appeared and the time period when the case would’ve been heard. Other stories give the plumber’s full name as "Patsy Kerr," but it’s unclear what court may have heard his case. The Police Service of Northern Ireland responded to an email inquiry and asked for more details about the alleged plumber’s crime but did not immediately provide more information about this story.
Variations of the story appear online, including on Tyrone Tribulations, a website that notes "accuracy cannot be guaranteed." Buzzfeed posted its own version in 2014, replete with a gif of Tim Robbins standing with his arms outstretched in the rain. "This man dug a tunnel to the pub using a spoon," the headline said. Alas, the writer had to update the story the next morning.
"We messed up," the addendum says. "The story is a hoax, and we fell for it. We’re really sorry. Original story follows."
We rate this statement Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Men’s Corner, "Man dug a tunnel from home to the pub and drank every night while his wife slept," Oct. 7, 2017
Tyrone Tribulations, "Omagh’s ‘Shawshank Husband’ dug tunnel from bedroom to pub over 15 years," Sept. 25, 2014
Buzzfeed, "This man dug a tunnel to the pub using a spoon—updated," Sept. 27, 2014
Boing Boing, "Fake: Man digs tunnel from bedroom to pub," Sept. 29, 2014
Email from Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunal Service Press Team, Oct. 23, 2018
Email from The Police Service of Northern Ireland, Oct. 23, 2018
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No, an Irishman did not dig a tunnel from his home to his pub
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