O'Donovan has been a Fine Gael TD for Limerick since 2011. He is the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science. A member of Limerick County Council between 2003 and 2011, he was previously the Minister of State for the OPW, and Minister of State for the Gaeltacht.

I believe I have the skills, the experience and the ability to continue to best represent the needs of communities right across rural Limerick. This will be the fourth general election I have put my name before the people to seek a mandate. I believe in the power of politics to improve people’s lives, whether that is through increased social protection measures, community development funding, investing in sports and leisure amenities, or supporting pathways to education and training.

Housing, and getting sufficient numbers of people to train and work in the construction sector, so that we can dramatically improve our housing supply in a structured and coherent fashion. Everyone agrees that we need more types of housing, delivered quickly, with minimal environmental impact. To do this, we need people with the right skills, and we need infrastructure that connects communities and works to support our evolving needs as a society.

I would probably focus on talking about the challenges and opportunities that I have encountered on the doors while canvassing people across County Limerick. Childcare, transport, housing, and education come up all the time - people want to see a better return on their taxes, and they want to see their taxes invested in
their communities. Our plan to cap childcare at €200 per month per child is an ambition I know we need to deliver on, with three kids myself I know the pressures families are under when it comes to affordable childcare.