THE MINISTER for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, has been brought to hospital by ambulance after becoming ill at the informal meeting of the EU Presidency held at the University of Limerick.
The ambulance was called to UL this morning shortly after the meetings had begun. Minister O’Donovan was hosting a meeting of EU telecommunications ministers at the UL Sports Arena. A press conference had to be cancelled this afternoon due to Minister O’Donovan taking ill.
A spokesperson for the minister said, “The minister became unwell during the EU informal meeting at the University of Limerick and has been taken off-site for assessment and treatment.”
Minister O’Donovan’s current condition is unknown, but it is thought he is recovering.
The minister was hospitalised during his trip to Brussels during the summer and has previously spoken about his experience of living with epilepsy. He had to cancel a trip to Strasbourg last week after members of his own party had deemed him not fit to travel for work.
Minister O’Donovan met with RTÉ executives the following day to condemn the comments by his fellow party members, calling it “a slap in the face to me, but it was also a slap in the face of the people who have to live with conditions far worse than mine.” He also told the RTÉ executives that last week had nothing to do with his epilepsy. Minister O’Donovan accused Fine Gael ministers of the “ultimate betrayal.”
In 2023, the minister fell seriously ill in the Dáil Chamber while giving a speech, suffering from an aggressive fit where he stated, “I thought I was going to die.”
After all the controversies over the last few years and his ongoing illnesses, Minister O’Donovan is adamant that he is going nowhere and is letting the officials do their work on the case.