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Investigates Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates Daft.ie Property Allianz Home The 42 Sport TG4 Entertainment The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Boyd Barrett shared news of his cancer diagnosis back in April.Rollingnews.ie On The Mend 'I'm on my way back': Richard Boyd Barrett says treatment for throat cancer has been successful The Dún Laoghaire TD was diagnosed with the illness in March. 10.53am, 31 Oct 2025 Share options PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT leader Richard Boyd Barrett has revealed that his cancer treatment has been successful and that he will soon return to his role as a TD. Speaking on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Show this morning, Boyd Barrett said he will be returning to work on a phased basis over the coming weeks. He shared the news of his throat cancer diagnosis on the same show in April of this year. Former TD Bríd Smith stepped in while Boyd Barrett was ill to assist with the running of his constituency office. “I hope people will understand that I may not be going at 100% capacity for a while until I try things out, because the side effects are substantial. Some of them, they don’t know how long they last. Some of them can even be lifelong,” he said today. Boyd Barrett said his voice is “improving all the time”, but that it still gets tired after the treatment. He said one of the biggest side effects of the treatment for the throat cancer was that he wasn’t able to eat solid food for about four months. “It was really not fun. And you wonder at that time, will you ever eat normal food again? Your appetite is gone. You can’t hold anything down for periods, the nausea, all that stuff. It’s tough. It’s tough,” he said. Advertisement Boyd Barrett thanked the team who kept his constituency office running while he was receiving treatment, and said it would be a good idea if Ireland had a system whereby a substitute TD could be put in place if the existing one is sick. Such a system already exists at European Parliament level. Asked if his illness has given him a different perspective on anything, Boyd Barrett said: “It certainly makes you appreciate life, you know, being alive, and it makes you very much appreciate the importance of our health workers and what they’re doing. Just the amazing work they’re doing for people. “And meeting all the people from all the different backgrounds who are going through the experience of having cancer and getting the treatment, and all the amazing goodwill that I experienced with the letters, the messages, the emails, like it just made me think the vast majority of people out there are very good and decent people.” He said he kept a close eye on the recent presidential election and was “delighted” with Catherine Connolly’s win and the successful way the parties of the left worked together. He added that he was frustrated not to be able to be part of it. “We saw in the Catherine Connolly campaign that we can unite. And I hope that that lesson will be taken forward,” Boyd Barrett said. He added that his experience of illness, and the kindness he was shown throughout, has “reinforced a lot of my sense about the potential and the possibility to change the world for the better”. “I’m glad I’m going to be around to play some part,” he said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Support The Journal Jane Matthews View 13 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'I'm on my way back': Richard Boyd Barrett says treatment for throat cancer has been successful”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'I'm on my way back': Richard Boyd Barrett says treatment for throat cancer has been successful”. 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Leave a commentcancel Newly created accounts can only comment using The Journal app. This is to add an extra layer of security to account creation. Download and sign into the app to continue. Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Dáil Éireann On The Mend People Before Profit Richard Boyd-Barrett Throat Cancer News in 60 seconds Former Kilkenny hurler DJ Carey in court to be sentenced for fraud charges hiqa inspection Three Camphill centres for disabled people may have their registrations cancelled by HIQA 47 mins ago It's going to rain for a lot of today - but it should be clear in time for trick-or-treating Good Morning The 9 at 9: Friday Cost of vaping to rise tomorrow as new tax on e-liquid kicks in GLOBAL TENSIONS Trump globally criticised after ordering nuclear weapons testing The Daily Poll How will you spend Halloween? 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