John Fitzgerald from Kildimo in Limerick is officially the youngest person on the books with Mensa in Ireland, a the age of just six.
While there are 1,000 people in the country who are members of Mensa, John is the youngest, although it seems that it wasn't a surprise to his father Barry (a computer engineer) and his mother Annemaria, who stated that they could see his abilities very early on.
Speaking to The Irish Examiner, Annemaria said "He started to memorise the alphabet when he was two and reading by two-and-a-half. He was also singing songs from The Beatles in their entirety before he was three".
Encouraged to have him tested as a result of his early promise by his his Montessori teacher, John's parents discovered that he was reading at the level of a 12-year-old by the age of three, and is now reading at the same level as a 16-year-old. John found out just two days ago that he was to become a Mensa member, and will be skipping ahead from senior infants straight to second class, which has been recommended, in order to keep challenging him and help him realise his potential.
Despite all the fuss and the attention he's getting, she added that John's not too bothered by everything that's happening at the moment: "He simply has no idea just how important it is. He’s completely normal, both socially and emotionally and loves playing soccer with Kilcornan AFC. All he wants to do is play for Man United. There are no hints of any other career".