15/06/2026
Sinn Féin Councillor Janice Boylan is taking a break from public life after being diagnosed with Bell’s palsy.
North Inner City Cllr Boylan took to social media over the weekend and announced she’s taking time off to recover after suffering temporary facial paralysis in recent days. This neurological condition causes sudden, temporary weakness in the muscles on one side of your face, as well as headaches and often a loss of taste.
Often occurring as a result of severe stress, Cllr Boylan wished to raise awareness of the condition, which is usually temporary with symptoms lessening over weeks and months. As a candidate in the Dublin Central by-election, Cllr Boylan had been incredibly active in recent weeks with canvassing and campaigning.
“I got headaches for five days. I then got severe ear pain around the back going up into my face. A tingling sensation,” she explained.
Cllr Boylan said she initially visited her GP and was initially diagnosed with a sinus infection, but “I just knew myself that wasn’t right”. Then, on Saturday morning, while doing her skincare routine, she looked in the mirror and knew for certain there was something else going on.
With the effects of paralysis already taking place, she saw one side of her face was drooping and she headed straight for A&E in the Mater Hospital. There she was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy and she commended the hospital staff as "absolutely fantastic”.
“I have to take two weeks off to rest and take it easy. So I won’t be doing any social media,” she said.
Cllr Boylan said “it can be quite scary when it happens to you,” but wanted to let people know that “if you catch it in time and take the medication” it does repair itself. “The thing that causes it is stress and sometimes the virus that causes cold sores can cause it as well,” she said.
