LAST UPDATE | 11 Jul

MEDIA MINISTER PATRICK O’Donovan, who fell ill and was hospitalised in Belgium this week, has been flown back to Ireland on the government’s private jet.

On Tuesday, O’Donovan became unwell and was taken to hospital in Brussels, where he remained under “close medical observation”, his spokesperson said. 

The minister has previously spoken about being diagnosed with epilepsy in 2016.

The government jet left the Irish Air Corps base in Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, Co Dublin at around 8pm on Friday evening, bound for Brussels. It left Brussels in a quick turnaround at 10pm last night and made its way to Dublin Airport.

The Journal understands a National Ambulance Service medic and doctor were on board and the plane.

The Air Corps crew had earlier been involved in ferrying the Taoiseach Micheál Martin back from a meeting in Guernsey in the Channel Islands. 

With reporting from Mairead Maguire.