Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea has vehemently denied that he asked well-known local businessman John Fahey outside South's pub for a fight and says he has witnesses to back him up.

John Fahey, chief executive of the Meet Limerick/Shannon conferencing promotion group, and Geraldine Morrissey, spokeswoman for Aer Lingus workers at the airport, are demanding an apology from the minister over the remarks they say he made.

However, Mr O'Dea claimed that it was he who had been abused and denied he offered to fight.

He said that Mr Fahey's friend Geraldine Morrissey, an Aer Lingus workers' spokeswoman, had consumed a lot of alcohol when she confronted him in the bar. This has been hotly denied by Ms Morrissey and Mr Fahey.

Mr Fahey, the former manager of the Limerick Inn hotel, says the Minister told him: "I would like to hit you." He allegedly replied: "If you were any bigger I would let you."

The incident happened at around 10.30 last Saturday night in the crowed pub near the toilets at the rear, just after the departure of Tanaiste Brian Cowen, who attended the opening of an art exhibition in the Georgian House with Minister O'Dea.

Minister O'Dea said: "I was on my way out of South's when there was some chanting about Shannon. I had gone back in to collect my wife, Geraldine, who was talking with friends after saying goodbye to Brian Cowen.

Willie O'Dea

"This crowd came up to me and this woman said to me, 'Where the f*** were you during the Dail debate on Shannon? I tried to explain that I arranged to be involved in the Dail debate on Wednesday and had to postpone a meeting involving Irish troops going to Chad to Thursday.

Then the debate was put back to Thursday when they put down a motion of no confidence and I could not postpone the meeting again. I was explaining that I was in the House that day, not in the Chamber and Mr Fahey jumped in again and said,"You did not defend Shannon."

Fergal O'Brien, the Minister's assistant, who was in the pub at the time said: "I would be lying if I said I heard everything that was said, but yes I was there and this woman was quite abusive.

She was very animated and there was taunting going on. It was obvious she was inebriated."

Ms Morrissey emphatically rejected the claim that she was inebriated.

Mr Fahey, who heads the Meet Limerick/Shannon conferencing promotion group, backed up Ms Morrissey. He said: "When they were leaving, a few of the lads near the door started saying "what about Shannon Willie?" It was just good humoured banter.

"He then came back and started working the tables and when he came to our table Geraldine Morrissey asked him why he didn't attend the Dail debate on the Aer Lingus issue.

"He told her, ' I'm the Minister for Defence'. Then I said, 'Well you didn't defend the West of Ireland very well.' He then claims that Mr O'Dea said among other things, " I would like to hit you."

Ms Morrissey supported this version of events and said that it's upsetting that Willie O'Dea is telling lies.

The allegations against Mr O'Dea came on a bad day for Fianna Fail. One of its councillors resigned from the party pending the outcome of a Garda investigation into an allegation that he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old boy, a claim the councillor has denied.