Comedian Oliver Callan has opened up on his wedding plans as he revealed that some guests refused invites as they did not “approve” of his sexuality.
The 41-year-old will tie the knot with his long-term partner, John, in the coming weeks after the pair got engaged in 2018, having been together since 2012.
Initially, the couple had hoped to marry in October 2019, but like many, they had to postpone their plans due to the Covid pandemic.
Having overcome numerous lockdowns, the pair have set the date, with their wedding to take place next month at Castle Leslie, Co Monaghan.
Speaking on the upcoming nuptials, Oliver told RTE’s Brendan O’Connor that he is looking forward to the big day and isn’t taking anything for granted.
He said: “We were due to get married in 2020 because we’ve had a four-year engagement. We’ve actually prepared the marriage rather than the wedding.
“We’re 10 years together. It’s a local wedding in Monaghan at Castle Leslie.
“We’re not having a big flashy wedding or anything like that. It’s close family and friends, so don’t think it’s a celebrity studded thing.”
Callan then went on to say that some of his guests refused invites as they disapproved.
He said the moves upset him “momentarily” and caused him to question why he had invited them in the first place.
“But it is a gay wedding, so you know they are still a rare thing, and when we met, it would have been illegal to go ahead, so we don’t take that for granted. We’re looking forward to it,” he said.
“Monaghan is seen as backwards. It’s almost like the rest of the country looks at Monaghan like England looks at Ireland.
“So, I don’t take for granted the people even that have accepted invites because I’ve had a few, I’ve had surprising refusals on the grounds of principle. It’s bizarre.
“I don’t go into the detail, but they don’t approve, so I immediately go ‘, why did I even consider this invite’.
“Thankfully, we’ve separated the wheat from the chaff, but I don’t look negatively on people who’ve turned it down. I go, ‘wow,’ I really won’t take for granted the fact that we can do this, and people are delighted to come along and share the day with us.”
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