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.