MINISTER FOR SPORT Patrick O’Donovan remains in intensive care in Limerick hospital after taking ill on Tuesday. 

O’Donovan was taken by ambulance to hospital on Tuesday afternoon after he became unwell at an informal meeting of EU communications ministers at the University of Limerick.

The minister returned to work in September after a period of illness over the summer. 

In July, O’Donovan, who has been open about his experience of living with epilepsy, became unwell and was hospitalised in Belgium before being flown back to Ireland on the government’s private jet a few days later. 

Last weekend, it was reported in The Sunday Times that he did not travel to an EU meeting in Strasbourg last Thursday due to illness. 

Before becoming unwell on Tuesday, O’Donovan hit out at quotes from anonymous government ministers about his health in last weekend’s Sunday papers, describing them as “hurtful” and “the ultimate betrayal”.

On Wednesday, senior ministers criticised the anonymous briefings about O’Donovan, with Minister for Higher Education James Lawless saying the speculation on O’Donovan’s health and his ability to do the job was a “new low”.

Written by Jane Matthews and posted on TheJournal.ie