Referee’s report awaited after Paul Galvin allegedly struck

The Kerry County Board is awaiting the referee's report before deciding whether to take action following an incident yesterday in which former inter-county football star Paul Galvin was allegedly struck with a hurley.

The incident happened during a county senior hurling final between Lixnaw and Kilmoyley when the vice-chairman of Kilmoyley, Paddy O’Sullivan, ran onto to the field and appeared to strike Lixnawman Galvin across the upper body with a hurley.

The alleged incident happened during an altercation between a number of players as the referee John Sexton was about to start the second half.

According to witnesses O’Sullivan was then struck by a Lixnaw player before stewards intervened and removed him from the field. He was escorted out of Austin Stack Park by gardai.

The Kerry County Board will meet tonight where the date for the replay will be decided. It is believed that the fate of the Kilmoyley vice chairman O’Sullivan will be decided this week.

Mike O’Halloran, a Radio Kerry analyst said: “It didn’t look great. It could have done a lot of damage.”

Galvin received a yellow card for his part in the fracas.

A three-time Kerry All Star, he retired from inter-county football earlier this year after a glittering career where he won four All-Ireland titles, seven Munster Championships, three National League titles and was Footballer of the Year in 2009.

His career was not without controversy however. In 2006 he tangled with John Toal, an Armagh water carrier and in 2008, he famously knocked the notebook from referee Paddy Russell's hand after being sent off against Clare and was banned for six months.

In 2010, Galvin was banned for eight weeks after he appeared to stick a finger in the mouth of Cork's Eoin Cadogan during a Munster SFC semi-final replay.

A former teacher, he is now considered one of the most high profile figures in male fashion in Ireland since retiring from inter-county football.