Galvin still hasn't said sorry to me says Callan

Melanie Finn, Showbusiness Editor

RTE comic Oliver Callan has said he reckons Paul Galvin was "probably having a bad day" when he squared up to him in a Dublin pub.

And the Green Tea star has revealed in an interview with the Herald how he was "disappointed" that the GAA star never apologised about losing his temper with him in Kehoe's pub.

"I have never had such an extreme reaction before, not to my face. You rattle cages in Government and you hear about it in the media but that was an extreme direct intervention," he said. "Maybe he was just having an off day."

Callan and Galvin hit the headlines last month after the furious GAA star confronted Callan in a Dublin pub while on a night out, with gardai subsequently called to the scene and an investigation launched.

The comic's legal team have now dropped their complaint against the sports star and Callan said he's happy to "let it lie" -- even though Galvin never apologised for the incident.

ridicule

"The complaint was dropped and there's nothing much more you can do but it was disappointing that he didn't apologise for what happened. I think it was warranted," he said.

But the Monaghan-born comedian has drawn inspiration from the spat for his new show in the Olympia on January 12 where he confirmed that the Kerry GAA star will be among those up for ridicule.

"Even I couldn't provide the recipe on how to stop me mimicking people. He came up to me in a bar, there was a bit of jostling and I'll probably never see him again.

"He is definitely a character and is very welcome to come and see the show if he wants. There's no major ill-feeling in that regard -- as long as he doesn't go jumping up on stage or anything!" he said.

The star also made the decision to come out of the closet on RTE's Saturday Night Show last month in a bid to quench claims of homophobia and said he has been bowled over by the reaction.

mfinn@herald.ie