Entertainment

Remember John Joe from the Late Late Toy Show? Well he still loves clocks

Remember John Joe from the Late Late Toy Show? Well he still loves clocks

Back in 2009, we were introduced to a now-legendary Late Late Toy Show guest.

Little did we know when a bespeckled young boy from Roscommon appeared on screen to chat about Roald Dahl books that the word 'horologist' would become part of our vocabulary.

John Joe Brennan, then 8, captured the country's heart and had us all talking about clocks.

Advertisement

Four years later, John Joe appeared once more on our screens.

He returned to the Late Late aged 12 to tell Tubs all about his rise to fame - but shocked viewers when he said he was calling time on his clock-keeping career goals.

"I have reviewed that thought and I still want to be a horologist but as an everyday job I think I might lose the interest, because when you have a good few clocks on a deadline to repair it sort of becomes a chore."

On that day five years ago, he said he was instead considering a career in auctioneering while maintaining horology as a hobby.

Advertisement

It has been five years since we last heard from John Joe, but light has been shed on his current career aspirations.

John Joe's parents moved from Roscommon to France and they are renovating their Parisian home.

A photo of the now 17-year-old John Joe sitting in his bedroom surrounded by his impressive clock collection was included in a feature on the renovation.

Advertisement

Author Eithne Shortall recognised the boy and shared the photo on Twitter.

The collection of clocks around his bed show young John Joe still appreciates all thing tick-tock.

However, it seems his earlier career change is still his goal and John Joe is on track to become an auctioneer.

"Fortunately, canny John Joe knows there's no real future in clocks; he plans to become an auctioneer," the Sunday Independent revealed.

Advertisement