As widely anticipated, local poll-topping TD Patrick O’Donovan (Fine Gael) has been retained in Cabinet. His appointment, like that of the other 14 Ministers, was delayed by 24 hours due to the speaking rights impasse. Following on from the return of Micheál Martin (Fianna Fáil) as Taoiseach, the new cabinet was revealed.
Mr. O’Donovan was handed a new role, that of Minister for Arts, Culture, Media, Communications and Sport. He succeeds Catherine Martin (Green Party), who failed to get elected in the recent General Election.
Mr. O’Donovan’s new position carries with it arguably the widest brief of any Ministry. In a social media post, he commented: “Honoured to be nominated to serve in Government. I received my seal of office from President Michael D. Higgins, with Taoiseach Martin (and others) at Aras an Uachtaráin.”
Mr. O’Donovan, 47, previously served as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science from 2024 to 2025, and a Minister of State from 2016 to 2024. He has been a TD for Limerick County since 2011.
An industrial chemist by trade before returning to education to become a primary school teacher, Mr. O’Donovan first entered politics when elected to the then-Limerick County Council way back in 2004.
Patrick is married to Eileen and the couple have three children, John, Mae and Nell, and reside in Monagea.
Another local TD, Niall Collins (Fianna Fáil), is expected to be appointed as Minister of State in the coming days. The other TD for Limerick County, Richard O’Donoghue (Independent Ireland), helped resolve the speaking rights stalemate in the Dáil with the arrival of Aontú’s two TDs – Peadar Tóibín and Paul Lawless – into his Independent Technical Group.