Galway footballer Seán Fitzgerald in shake-up to appear on Love Island

Galway manager Padraic Joyce celebrates with Kieran Molloy and Seán Fitzgerald last year. Pic: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

Galway senior footballer Seán Fitzgerald is in the shake-up to appear on the reality TV show Love Island.

Fitzgerald, 25, is shortlisted to be a contestant on the British dating programme, which is set in Majorca and starts on ITV on June 1.

A primary school teacher, Fitzgerald was not part of Galway’s matchday squad for last Sunday’s Connacht SFC final defeat to Roscommon in King & Moffat Dr Hyde Park, nor was he one of the four standby players.

The defender’s previous appearance for the team came at full-back against Leitrim in the provincial semi-final in Carrick-on-Shannon last month.

Known also for his social media profile primarily on TikTok, Fitzgerald is signed to Marvel, an Irish talent and influencer management agency. In February, Fitzgerald published a TikTok video where he expressed his interest in appearing on the show.

The Bearna clubman made his senior debut for Galway in 2022 and his first SFC appearance a year later. He started the ’24 All-Ireland final and has won four consecutive Connacht SFC championship medals. Fitzgerald won an U20 All-Ireland title in 2020.

In an interview with RSVP magazine last year, Fitzgerald was asked about the best advice he had received. 

“Two bits of advice from over the years have stuck with me. The first is, ‘Don’t care about what anyone thinks’. If I cared about what other people thought of me, I would not be where I am today.

“The amount of confidence and self-worth you gain from not caring about what other people think is honestly scary. You become the best version of yourself.

“The second piece of advice I heard that stuck with me is, ‘If you’re gonna piss like a puppy, stay on the porch, let the big dogs eat’.

“Whenever I doubt myself in life, whether it’s sport-related or otherwise, I say this to myself in my head. It’s simple, positive self-talk that reminds me I am good enough to do whatever it is I’m doing.” 

Several Irish people have featured on Love Island, which started in 2005. Former Kilnadeema-Leitrim hurler Dylan Towolawi appeared in season 6, as did ex-Ireland Sevens rugby player Greg O’Shea and Maura Higgins in 2019.

In last season’s series, former Munster academy player Conor Phillips and Dubliner Megan Forte Clarke were contestants.

Galway face Kildare in their opening All-Ireland SFC clash in Pearse Stadium on Saturday week. Their second-round game takes place three weeks later on June 13 or 14.