BARRY COWEN HAS confirmed that he experienced a “health scare” over the weekend, but is now recovering at St James’s Hospital in Dublin.

In a statement, the Fianna Fáil MEP explained that he first felt unwell during a European Parliament meeting in Strasbourg last week.

The symptoms continued after his return home, prompting him to visit the emergency department at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore on Saturday night.

He was subsequently transferred to the cardiac unit at St James’s Hospital on Sunday, where he underwent surgery the following day.

Cowen expressed hope to return home “via Tullamore Hospital at the weekend” and stated that he will continue to fulfill his duties as an MEP.

My office remians fully operational,” Cowen said.

“I am hugely indebted to the professionalism and compassion of all the staff in both Tullamore and St James’s Hospitals,” he added.

Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly extended his “best wishes” to Cowen for a “speedy recovery” in a post online.