[1] She played a key role in the arts at Dublin City University over a 23-year period, including in the launch of the Helix cultural centre.

At DCU for 23 years, she taught a range of communications and arts courses, including radio documentary making, storytelling and public speaking, and the university sent her for training at the BBC.

[6] In the early 2000s, she also spent six months as a touring actor across the UK and Ireland, in The Merry Wives of Windsor and King John with the Northern Broadsides company.

[4][8] In 2004, she co-founded, with Andy Hinds, the theatrical company Classic Stage Ireland, which produced Shakespeare and ancient Greek drama.

[12][13] More recently, in addition to her work with RTÉ and presence in the Seanad, she has appeared as a panellist on TV3's Tonight with Vincent Browne, often featuring in the section of the programme that reviews the following morning's newspapers.

[14] In March 2018 she sparked criticism after stating teenagers below the age of 18 should “stay away from politics”[15] O'Donnell commenced PhD studies on university teaching at St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, now the DCU Institute of Education, in 2009.