Mr O'Donovan experienced a terrifying episode in the Dail chamber and felt as though he was dying. He revealed that he suffers from a photo sensitivity that leads to epilepsy, which he disclosed following criticisms about his attendance at cultural events. He described feeling an inability to speak, see, or sense anything during the incident. After years of experiencing episodes without a proper diagnosis, receiving confirmation of his condition brought both relief and a sense of loss.
He said, at the time, he did not know whether he was going to live or die.
Mr O'Donovan said he was revealing his disability following criticism around his level of participation at cultural events.
He said it felt like the 'bottom had fallen out' of his world when he was eventually diagnosed, but the confirmation also came with a sense of relief.
Asked if he thought there was a chance he was dying, he said: 'Yeah, I did. I thought this one was so big and was lasting so long.'
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