Poet denies he is a sex tourist

THE Irish poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh has defended his relationship with poverty-stricken teenage boys in Nepal and says he loves one of them “with all my heart”.

In an interview with Hot Press magazine, Ó Searcaigh also explained why he pulled out of a Late Late Show appearance last Friday, denies that he has been a sex tourist and says reports of his virility “are exaggerated”.

He described the TV documentary, Fairytale of Kathmandu, which revealed his activities with Nepalese teenage boys, as “conniving and cunning” and said he was denied the opportunity to appear live on the Late Late Show. Ó Searcaigh said he wanted to appear on the show to challenge the documentary. “I wanted to show how conniving and cunning its narrative ploys were.

“They were only willing to do a pre-recorded interview, which I think is quite unusual for the show.

“It seemed to me that the whole thing would be watered down, that whatever I said would have been washed out.”

Ó Searcaigh denied being a sex tourist and said he did not engage in anal sex. “I am not a sex tourist. Sex tourism seems, to me, someone going abroad, buying sex, and coming home.

“If I wanted to pay for sex, there is an area in Kathmandu I could have gone to and paid e2 and had the most ravishing and surprisingly enjoyable sex.”

Ó Searcaigh told Hot Press the documentary also failed to reveal his generosity. “It was never shown in the film that I spend so much time with families, older people, conduct workshops with women in Nepal, the literati of Nepal are up in my room, elderly men talking about poetry, none of that comes across in the film.

“It is as if I am a continuously depraved Pied Piper, out on the streets, enticing all the young men of Thamal to a debauch.”