O'Donovan in intensive care after taking ill on Tuesday

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O Donovan is currently in intensive care at University Hospital Limerick following an illness earlier this week. He was admitted to the hospital by ambulance after becoming unwell during an EU Presidency meeting at the University of Limerick on Tuesday. Reports suggest that Mr O Donovan experienced a seizure, leading to his hospitalization.

Over the summer, he was also hospitalized after falling ill during an official trip to Brussels. O Donovan has openly discussed his diagnosis of epilepsy and recently spoke to RTÉ News, where Príomh Chomhairleoir of Limerick County Council and a close friend of Mr O Donovan, Tom Ruddle, expressed support for the Minister, saying that everyone in Newcastle West is rooting for his swift recovery and a return to normalcy.

The Fine Gael councillor added that Mr O Donovan is resilient and that everyone, including his family, is thinking of him, especially with the Ryder Cup event approaching Limerick. However, a newspaper report over the weekend revealed that discussions about Mr O Donovan's fitness to continue in his role are underway, with some questioning his health and competence, which he considers a "slap in the face" from politicians who have brought up his health in anonymous quotes in newspapers. O Donovan was first elected to the Dáil in 2011 and has served as a councillor since 2003.