BREAKING: Limerick TD becomes a Junior Minister in latest shake-up
LIMERICK City TD Kieran O'Donnell has been promoted to the Junior Cabinet ranks in the latest reshuffle, it has been confirmed.
It comes as Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar returned to the role of An Taoiseach across the weekend.
Mr O'Donnell has been appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Housing, with a senior source saying it's reward for his many years of hard work.
He replaces Peter Burke in the role, with the Longford-Westmeath TD moving to the EU Affairs Ministry.
It's an interesting development for Limerick, given Mr Burke had been spearheading legislation being put in place to deliver the county's first directly elected mayor.
Now, it will be a Limerick man leading the way on this.
Rural Limerick TD Patrick O'Donovan will remain at the high-profile role of Minister of State at the Office of Public Works.
His constituency colleague Niall Collins will remain in his post as Minister of State for skills and further education.
A junior ministry is the highest level of government Mr O'Donnell will have served at, and it means Limerick has three TDs at this rank.
The Fine Gael deputy, a nephew of Tom O'Donnell, the former Minister, MEP and Limerick East deputy, was first elected to Dail Eireann in 2007.
It followed a three year spell on the former Limerick County Council.
During his first term, the Monaleen man became a high-profile voice in the chamber as Fine Gael's deputy finance spokesperson, with Ireland and the world plunging into recession.
In May 2010, he was given the full-time finance portfolio by then party leader Fine Gael, after Richard Bruton led an unsuccessful leadership challenge.
But after Mr O'Donnell backed Mr Bruton in this, he was demoted to the backbenches.
He was re-elected in 2011 as part of the Fine Gael surge, but then lost his Dail seat five years later in dramatic circumstances, missing out on the last seat to former Labour TD Jan O'Sullivan.
Despite this, he was elected as a Senator for the Cultural and Educational Panel a few weeks later.
And in 2020, the accounting professional was returned to the Lower House, taking the third seat in Limerick City.
He was made chairman of the Transport committee in this Dail term.
Before becoming a full-time public representative, Mr O'Donnell worked as an accountant.