Edenderry's Cllr Noel Bourke speaks out after lengthy hospital stay

Edenderry councillor Noel Bourke has commented on the quality of both the hospital and staff in Tullamore, following his recent lengthy hospital stay.

Cllr Bourke took ill at his home in Killane, Edenderry in the early hours of Wednesday, May 7 and spent almost seven weeks at the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore before returning home just over a fortnight ago.

“I want to express my thanks to all staff members in the hospital who helped me and all other patients in every way they could,” Cllr Bourke said this week, adding that the people of Offaly can feel “very lucky that we have such a good hospital and such excellent people working in it”.

Cllr Bourke also thanked those who thought of him during his spell of ill-health. “When I got home I was somewhat taken aback to see the hundreds of letters, cards and details of telephone calls which had been received at home wishing me well,” he said.

Cllr Bourke was re-elected to Offaly County Council while in hospital, despite being unable to canvass in the weeks leading up to the May 23 election. This week he thanked those who worked on his behalf in the lead-up to the election.

“It’s great to be home and at present I am using my time to pursue matters of importance to the whole electoral area and its people, and I will continue to do that to the best of my ability,” he concluded.