LAST UPDATE | 7 Apr 2025

RICHARD BOYD BARRETT has revealed that he has been diagnosed with throat cancer.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Show, the People Before Profit-Solidarity party leader said he was diagnosed in March, and will begin treatment soon.

“I wanted to take the opportunity to say I recently got a cancer diagnosis and I found out a few weeks ago,” the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown TD told Claire Byrne.

“I have to enter into a fairly intense period of cancer treatment over the next … well, it’s going to certainly take a couple of months probably. We could be talking three or four months.”

Barrett said that he will be away from work for a few months for treatment, with radiotherapy and chemotherapy likely starting next week.

He added that his fellow PBP-Solidarity TDs will “continue to campaign” on a number of issues in his absence.

Former PBP-Solidarity TD Bríd Smith will “help out” in his Dún Laoghaire office in his absence.

“I will definitely be back,” Barrett said. “I wanted to explain it because if I just disappeared, people, the constituents who elected me, would be wondering where I’m gone, so I wanted to do them the service of telling them.

“The people who voted for People Before Profit deserve to know if I’m not around and I just want to stress, I plan to be back as soon as possible.”

Barrett added that it will be hard for him to step back, but siad “all going well, I’ll be back to it”. He said that signs of the cancer were evident as early as the general election campaign in November, when he noticed a swelling on his neck.

Barrett explained that the cancer is “very curable . . . I’ve a good chance.”

“The majority of people get through it, so hopefully I will too”.

He thanked the public for their well wishes this afternoon and noted that he has received messages from family, friends, co-workers and other TDs as well. “I really appreciate all the kind words”.