Galvin opens up on Callan incident

KERRY footballer Paul Galvin has opened up about his pub bust-up with Oliver Callan to claim the row was sparked after he politely refused three times to join the comic for a pint.

The fashionista All Star, who refused to apologise yesterday for the flare-up, said the comedian had aggressively pursued a friendship with him in the run-up to their row.

And the footballer insisted on Today FM’s Ray D’Arcy Show that he wasn’t upset over insinuations that he was gay in Callan’s sketches.

He said: “That’s not the issue and wasn’t the issue. He did that and people thought that was my problem and it wasn’t really.”

He said the comic, who came out of the closet in the weeks after the incident, had tried to befriend him in recent months.

“I met that man. He went out of his way to make himself known to me on two occasions socially. I took him at face value and I thought he was an OK guy and I’m sure he is an OK guy.

“As it turned out he had his own things going on, he did his thing on TV afterwards. I didn’t know he had a radio show until subsequent to this.

“I didn’t know anything about him. I wouldn’t know him or the sky above him had he not gone out of his way to make himself known to me.

“I took him at face value socially and I left him into my circle. I’m a very cautious person with people. I wouldn’t leave people close to me that easily.”

He said: “On the night in question I go into the door of Kehoe’s pub and within minutes I’m approached by a man who grabbed me by the waist and tried to pull me over around the corner and asked me to join his company.

“I didn’t actually recognise him. I had met him previously but I didn’t recognise him.

“I said ‘No thanks I will stay where I am’. I was perfectly sober. It was also suggested I was roaring drunk, which I wasn’t. I was completely sober.

“What happened next shouldn’t have happened.

“I should have gone out the door home. I left myself down and I shouldn’t have probably.”

But he said on the Ray D’Arcy Show that he didn’t feel he should apologise for his aggressive behaviour towards the comic.

Galvin explained: “It was a bit of a spat. I don’t know what you would call it. I’m loathe to speak about it too much because I think that was the endgame for him possibly. It was very bizarre and it was unfortunate. I probably didn’t behave perfectly in the whole thing, which is my responsibility. I was disappointed with a couple of things.”

He also confirmed on the Today FM show that he was dating glamorous AA Roadwatch girl Louise Duffy.

“I mean like yeah, yeah,” he said, when asked by D’Arcy. “She’s really good on the radio. That’s all I’ll say.”

The All-Ireland winner also revealed he would love to style the Kerry team with a ’70s look.

He said: “I would go back to an old school-style ’70s-style jersey with a V-neck and a collar.”

He revealed: “I took a club jersey to a tailor because it was just too big. It was going half-way down my legs and the sleeves were billowing and actually it’s very easy for guys to grab a hold of you. The tailor was bringing it in for me and bringing the sleeves up for me. With my club I got it tailored. It was huge. I think they should all go and do it. With the club it is one size fits all and it is not my style.”

The high-profile player said he doesn’t take himself too seriously.

“Sometimes I slag the boys and have a bit of crack if the weather is really bad before training I’ll say ‘Lads I’m not going out in that. It’s in my contact’ or if the crowd is too small I’ll say ‘I don’t perform for crowds under 10,000’.”