IRISH politician Danny Healy-Rae has hit back at critics after falling asleep at Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final between Limerick and Galway.
The Kerry TD told the Herald that he "only fell asleep for two minutes" during the half-time break of the game, but it was long enough for a nearby hurling fan to snap a picture of Mr Healy-Rae and upload it to social media.
The image led to many people questioning whether his ticket could have gone to someone who would have been much more attentive towards the game, including Minister for Sport Shane Ross who tweeted "is this a waste of a good ticket?".
"First of all, I go to every All-Ireland hurling final and have so for the last 30 years," Mr Healy-Rae said.
"Yes, I was tired and I fell asleep for a minute or two during the interval of the minor game.
"Where the picture was, that’s not where I watched the senior match.
"I went to section 327, that’s was where my ticket was, which was over in the corner [of the Hogan Stand] right near the end line flag."
Questions were also raised around how Healy-Rae obtained his ticket.
He said he got his ticket for the game after getting off the train in Dublin.
"I did not get my ticket through political pull, but through the friends that I have known for all these years," he said.
