Cllr refutes claims she is 'missing': 'As long as there is air in my lungs'

Sinn Féin Councillor Janice Boylan has hit back against any "little man in his jocks on his phone or laptop sniping from the side-lines" and addressed online speculation about her whereabouts following a Bell's Palsy diagnosis last June

Comments News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 14:40, 16 Jul 2026 Updated 14:51, 16 Jul 2026 View 2 Images Sinn Féin Councillor for North Inner City Janice Boylan (Image: Robbie Kane)

Sinn Féin Councillor Janice Boylan has publicly refuted online accusations that she is resigning or "missing".

The North Inner City Councillor took to social media to address the “few people who are very concerned about where I am” and stated she will support her constituents “as long as there is air in my lungs and as long as the people of Dublin Central want me to do it”. Having been hospitalised with Bell’s Palsy last June , Cllr Boylan announced a temporary break from political life to recover after her diagnosis.

As a candidate in the recent Dublin Central by-election , the O'Devaney Gardens native was incredibly active in recent months and took doctor’s advice to rest and recover following the facial paralysis she had suffered. Cllr Boylan was once again hospitalised in early July, when she suffered a second bout of Bell’s Palsy on the other side of her face.

View 2 Images Sinn Féin Councillor Janice Boylan explaining her Bell's palsy diagnosis (Image: TikTok)

“I ended up being hospitalised for a full week. They found a multitude of other issues that now they need to investigate. I just wanted to keep up the honesty and transparency because that’s what I’m all about,” she said in a social media video this morning.

Despite giving regular updates on her recovery and attending several Dublin City Council meetings, Cllr Boylan said that has not stopped rumours from spreading about her political career . “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, there’s no little man in his jocks on his phone or laptop sniping from the side-lines that’s ever going to make me stand up and pay attention to what they are saying,” she said.

Cllr Boylan then assured her constituents that she is not going anywhere and has been in active contact with her Sinn Féin colleagues. “I know who I am and I know why I do what I do,” she said, reiterating her commitment to the people of Dublin Central.

“I am still on steroids and I am very bloated. They are not nice to be on, but they do what they are supposed to do. Of course, they have side effects as well. I nearly have the full movement back. I nearly have my smile back. I am getting there.

Since being diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy just over a month ago, Cllr Boylan revealed she has attended the full council meeting, the Central Area Committee meeting, an animal subgroup committee, the Housing SPC, and the election of the Lord Mayor virtually. “I attended an in-person meeting on the bin charges as well,” she said.

She has continued working with constituents through her recovery, dealing with issues like “fire, housing maintenance, housing allocation, applications for exceptional circumstances”. “I actually helped two nurses while I was in the hospital,” Cllr Boylan said.

Keeping in touch with her Sinn Féin colleagues on Dublin City Council and the office staff in the North Inner City has also been a priority for Cllr Boylan these past weeks. “I just want to make people feel rest assured that Sinn Féin has been actively servicing the people of Dublin Central,” she said.

"I provided care as well for my neurodivergent nine year old son who is currently on summer holidays. I also helped with my grandbabies when I could.

“I wanted to let people know that is the situation. That is what I have been doing, and, as I said, sometimes to the detriment of my family because they were giving out to me because I was still working,” she stated.

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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