BREAKING: Limerick set to have first Cabinet minister in seven years
Patrick O'Donovan to be appointed as minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
LIMERICK is set to have a seat at cabinet for the first time in almost seven years after Taoiseach Simon Harris appointed Patrick O'Donovan as the minister of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
It means the rural Limerick TD, who was first elected to Dail Eireann in 2011, will take over the new Fine Gael leader's old cabinet position.
The last local TD in cabinet was Michael Noonan, who served as Finance Minister up to May 2017, when he told the then new Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar he did not wish to be considered for a role in government.
He subsequently retired at the 2020 general election.
Mr O'Donovan joins fellow Limerick TD, Fianna Fail's Niall Collins in the same department. Mr Collins is the minister of state at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Married to Eileen, Mr O'Donovan is the father of three children - one boy and two girls.
He was co-opted onto the old Limerick County Council in 2003 to replace former TD Michael Finucane following the end of the dual mandate, which allowed councillors to serve in the Dail at the same time.
The Newcastle West man retained his council seat at the 2004 and 2009 local elections, before beating William O'Donnell onto the Fine Gael ticket to contest the 2011 general election.
Then, he was elected to Dail Eireann.
After retaining his seat in 2016, he was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
When Mr Varadkar came to power, he moved to a junior ministerial role at the Department of Public Expenditure and reform.
In the current administration, he was given what was considered to be among the most high-profile of the junior ministries, at the Office of Public Works.
Now, he has been appointed into a senior cabinet role.
Croagh-based Fine Gael councillor Stephen Keary, who is Mr O'Donovan's father-in-law, has welcomed the appointment.
He said: "He has been a Fine Gael TD for 14 years, and has excelled in his role. It's only fitting he was elevated to a full ministerial position."
"Patrick is very much involved in education himself. He was a chemical engineer and a primary school teacher. He knows first level, second level and third level really well. I think he will do a very good job," added Cllr Keary.