Project Description

Twelve months is a long time in sport. And a very long time in the life of Paul Galvin, the most controversial, enigmatic and divisive personality in Gaelic Games.

Loved and loathed in equal measure, he was crowned Player of the Year last October – a prestigious honour that acclaimed his outstanding contribution as Kerry cruised to yet another All Ireland title.

But the year that followed was to epitomise the highs and lows of Paul’s rollercoaster career.

2010 was a season that seldom saw Galvin’s name out of the headlines – as three immense big-day performances were overshadowed by two high profile suspensions for disciplinary controversies. Throw in defeat for his club in the county final in both hurling and football, a succession of injury setbacks and a media fascination with his off-field activities and you have a cocktail for a truly compelling sports documentary.

A marked man, in every sense, it seems that there is no limit to the hype that surrounds Paul Galvin. Like Roy Keane before him, he still divides the public and his Association’s upper echelons. One of the most influential players of his generation, his heavily tattooed arms and unorthodox dress sense refuse to fit the stereotypes, built up over 125 years, of what a model Gaelic footballer should look like.

But despite his capacity to fill the column inches of the back pages and front pages, he continues to deliver in spades on the field.

Galvinised scratches below the surface in an attempt to excavate the real Paul Galvin – from the cold Winter fog of Banna Strand to the midsummer heat of New York, cameras were an ever present fly on the wall in Galvin’s sensational year.

The programme tracks the highs of his talismanic performances against Cork and the deep lows of his suspensions following two controversial clashes with his Cork adversary Eoin Cadogan.