John Joe Quinn dissolves into a fit of laughter at the thought of his new-found fame.
The poignant image of him enjoying a pint of Guinness with an alarm clock beside him set social media alight with a mixture of sadness and anger.
The picture, taken in McGinn's Hop House in Galway's Woodquay and uploaded on their Facebook page on Monday, led to an outpouring of emotion across the country.
Many felt the picture was emblematic of people's social isolation during the pandemic. Others used it as an opportunity to criticise the Government over its strict rules on time limits in pubs.
But John Joe has very different feelings.
"To hell with the feckin' pubs, health is more important. I mean, if that (coronavirus) spreads again, we're all in trouble.
"I hope it doesn't. With the kids going to school again, you don't know.
"People need to do what they are told. That's as simple as that."
When the Irish Independent caught up with him at his home in Galway yesterday, he was unaware his image had become a lightning rod for social media outrage.
"How am I famous?" he asked. With a dawning realisation, he joked: "Oh yeah, the picture. Will I be on the television next?"
While John Joe finds the reaction puzzling, he is happy to clear up a few misconceptions.
Conscious of abiding by the rule of the 105 minutes allowed in restaurants, John Joe brought his alarm clock with him to McGinn's. However, he also wanted to be home in time for the Six One News.
"I try to get back up here to hear the news. I asked the gentleman in there if I could have another pint if I had time. Because you have to get out at a certain time, and he said 'of course'."
John Joe explained that he doesn't usually go to McGinn's as he prefers to stay closer to his home in Bohermore, where the local pubs remain closed.
"I normally go locally to Crowe's or Tonery's, but they are closed this last six months. It's good to get a pint now and again. Guinness is good for you.
"I'd only ever take one or two pints, that's all. I wouldn't chance it."
Remaining coy about his age, John Joe said: "I'm over 80 now. Eighty and a bit."
Oblivious to his online fame, he said with a smile: "I don't know anything about computers or the internet. I'm an ordinary, plain man.
"I brought the alarm clock with me so I would get home in time to hear the news on RTÉ One at six o'clock.
"I always bring the clock with me, I never wear a watch."
When told people had pledged money to McGinn's for him to enjoy a few pints, John Joe said it was "very kind", but he prefers to pay his own way.
"Ringing the pub? Buying pints of Guinness? By God," he exclaimed.
Thinking it over for a second, he added softly: "People need to look after themselves."
Fergus McGinn, who posted the picture of John Joe, said he did not do it to disrespect the pensioner or his privacy.
“I am anxious. I am anxious all day. This is not something I did in any way to disrespect John Joe or his privacy. We would never do that.
“I just thought it was a lovely image and I asked him could I take a photo. He was happy to do it.
“We are getting messages all day, people wanting to send money for him. I got the offer of a barrel of Guinness for him off a pub in Dublin. But that’s not him at all. He is far too much of gent for that. He’s as straight a man as you would ever get on this earth.
"There definitely is an issue of people needing pubs for a social outlet but John Joe is not like that. He just likes a couple of pints occasionally, in peace.
“Most of our customers here would be retired. Men of that generation always used pubs for socialising. It’s not like now when people use their phones to socialise. Take that away and what are they left with.
“They mightn’t be drinking a lot of alcohol. A lot of them could knock two hours out of a glass of Guinness.”
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