GAA Star And Radio Mimic In Bar Brawl

Gardai were called the scene of an altercation in a Dublin bar last week involving one of Ireland's top footballers, and a radio comic who mercilessly ribs him on his RTE show.

2009 Footballer of the Year, and four-time All Ireland winner Paul Galvin was accused of assaulting Oliver Callan, who writes and performs RTE's Nob Nation and Green Tea satirical shows.

The bust-up happened in front of a government minister and a Senator in Kehoes' bar on South Anne Street in Dublin city centre.

Galvin, famous for his fashion as well as his football, is alleged to have seen red when the comic and his friends made a jibe about Galvin's rumored dating of glamorous TV presenter Grainne Seoige.

The Kerry man attempted to head-butt Callan, who was reported to be "badly shaken" by the incident.

The drama unfolded after 10pm, when a group of journalists and politicians who had attended a book launch in nearby Leinster House, moved their party to the bar.

There were joined by Oliver Callan, a former journalist himself, and members of his Green Tea production.

At some stage Galvin joined the group, and tensions rose between him and the comedian.

Witnesses said it escalated into a "face-off" with some pushing and shoving between the footballer and the radio production team.

One of Callan's production team indicated he was going to call the Gardai, but Galvin had left by the time the cops arrived.

Labour Senator John Whelan, who witnessed it all, said that he believed it was a publicity stunt at first, before it had escalated into "handbags stuff".

"What I saw didn't necessitate the Gardai being called," he said. "I think if Paul Galvin hadn't been involved, nothing would be made of this. I think he is being vilified in the wrong."

Senator Whelan said he and others had tried to calm the situation, telling Galvin to "cop himself on" and eventually he did and left the bar.

Gardai have been interviewing witnesses about the incident including Labour junior government minister Alan Kelly and a number of journalists, but no arrests have been made.

Neither Callan nor Galvin are strangers to controversy.

Funnyman Callan started out working on Gift Grub on Today FM, before leaving after a row with creator Mario Rosenstock.

He then moved to RTE and began a rival sketch show, Nob Nation, where he mimics leading Irish figures and satirizes topical events.

Last year, he annoyed advisers to former Taoiseach Brian Cowen, who appealed for Callan to "go easy" after he famously portrayed Cowen as a drunken Taoiseach.

And earlier this year, he was sued by a hotel in Waterford when one of his characters wrongly described it as a by-word for prostitution.

Galvin too is a familiar face to readers of tabloid newspapers.

The handsome former school-teacher is known as a hard-man on the pitch, and a fashionista off it.

He was famously suspended from football in 2008 as he prepared to captain Kerry to an All Ireland victory after he knocked the notebook out of referee Paddy Russell's hand during a confrontation.

But he recovered the following year, playing his way to a fourth All Ireland title and being named footballer of the year.

His metrosexual fashion sense - typified by skinny jeans and tattoos - is in sharp contrast to the "country bloke" image cultivated by most of his colleagues in the GAA.

He writes a weekly fashion column for the Irish Independent, and started studying fashion last year before quitting citing time pressures relating to his GAA commitments.

It is his love of fashion which Callan mercilessly parodies on his radio sketches.

But Galvin has been far from impressed, with one friend telling the Evening Herald: "It was really primary schoolboy stuff. Paul likes fashion, therefore he's gay, wink, wink. Totally juvenile but it was still broadcast."