2025-07-21T20:33:11Z

---

Imagine showing up for a grocery run only to find yourself at a fictional store straight out of a soap opera! This bizarre reality unfolded when a woman was mistakenly directed by Google Maps to an artificial Lidl store on the set of RTÉ’s beloved soap, Fair City. Yes, you heard that right – a store that exists only in a scripted world!

Fair City, filmed on the RTÉ campus in Donnybrook, Dublin 4, features a charming yet completely fictional suburb called Carrigstown. Within its carefully crafted set lies a community centre, a restaurant, and of course, the Lidl that has replaced the old Spar in the storyline. It’s a vibrant piece of television, but what happens when the lines between reality and fiction blur? That's exactly what happened on a seemingly ordinary Monday.

As fate would have it, Google Maps couldn’t quite grasp that Carrigstown is not a real place, leading one unsuspecting woman to the set, where she was hoping to pick up her groceries. RTÉ's Economics and Public Affairs Editor, David Murphy, couldn’t resist sharing this hilarious encounter on social media. He tweeted, “Met a lady outside RTÉ trying to get in to do her shopping in the Lidl on the Fair City set this evening. It’s listed on Google Maps. I gave her directions to Tesco.”

The incident sparked laughter and amusement online, with followers chiming in with their own experiences. One witty comment suggested that perhaps Joe Duffy, a well-known Irish broadcaster, had unwittingly sent her there! Another even recounted a similar mishap when searching for a Lidl in nearby Booterstown.

As of now, RTÉ has yet to comment on this amusing yet poignant reminder of how technology sometimes gets a little too creative. While we can all appreciate a good laugh, it makes you ponder the lengths to which our digital navigation has gone, mixing up imagination with our daily lives!