Micheál Martin

Micheál Martin TD
Leader of Fianna Fáil
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 January 2011
Deputy	Mary Hanafin
Preceded by	Brian Cowen
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office 7 May 2008 – 18 January 2011
Preceded by	Dermot Ahern
Succeeded by	Brian Cowen
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
In office 29 September 2004 – 7 May 2008
Preceded by	Mary Harney
Succeeded by	Mary Coughlan
Minister for Health and Children
In office 27 January 2000 – 29 September 2004
Preceded by	Brian Cowen
Succeeded by	Mary Harney
Minister for Education and Science
In office 26 June 1997 – 27 January 2000
Preceded by	Niamh Bhreathnach (Education)
Succeeded by	Michael Woods
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 June 1989
Constituency	Cork South Central
Personal details
Born	(1960-08-01) 1 August 1960 (age 64) Turner's Cross, Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse	Mary O'Shea
Children	5 (2 deceased)
Alma mater	University College Cork
Profession	Secondary school teacher
Website	Official website

Micheál Martin^[1] (born 1 August 1960) is an Irish politician, and the current leader of Fianna Fáil. He is a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork South Central constituency.^[2] Prior to becoming party leader, Martin had served as Minister for Education and Science (1997–2000), Minister for Health and Children (2000–04), Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (2004–08) and Minister for Foreign Affairs (2008–11).

As Minister for Health and Children in 2004, he introduced a ban on tobacco smoking in all Irish workplaces. As Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2009, Martin travelled to Latin America for the first time, and made the first official visit to Cuba by an Irish government minister. That same year, he travelled to Khartoum following the kidnapping of Sharon Commins and Hilda Kawuki. In 2010, he became the first Western foreign minister to visit Gaza since Hamas took control there in 2007. On 18 January 2011, Brian Cowen accepted his resignation as Foreign Minister. On 26 January 2011, Fianna Fáil announced that Micheál Martin had been elected as the eighth leader of the party, following Brian Cowen's resignation as party leader on 22 January 2011.

Born and raised in the Turner's Cross area of Cork, Martin was the son of Paddy Martin, a former Irish international boxer and CIÉ employee, and Eileen "Lana" Corbett. The third child in a family of five, Martin'e eldest brother Seán and his twin brother Pádraig subsequently became involved in local politics in Cork. His two younger sisters, Eileen and Máiréad, have remained apolitical. Martin attended Coláiste Chríost Rí before studying arts at University College Cork.

It was during his time at university that Martin became involved in politics. He was a prominent member of the cumann of Ógra Fianna Fáil, the youth wing of the party before later serving as national chairman of Ógra. After graduating with a BA degree Martin later completed his MA in political history. Martin subsequently completed a higher diploma in education and began a career as a history teacher in Presentation Brothers College.

In 2009 he published his masters thesis as a book: Freedom to Choose: Cork and Party Politics in Ireland 1918-1932.

Martin's time as a teacher was short-lived as he left after just one year to become a full-time politician when he secured election to Cork Corporation as a Fianna Fáil candidate in 1985. It was from this local base that he decided to embark on a career in national politics a little under two years later. Martin was one of four candidates who secured the Fianna Fáil nomination to run in the Cork South Central constituency in the 1987 general election, however, he polled the fewest first preference votes out of the four and failed to be elected. In spite of this setback his star was on the rise and he became a member of the Fianna Fáil national executive in 1988.

In 1989 Taoiseach Charles Haughey called a snap election and Martin was once again added to the Fianna Fáil ticket in Cork South Central. On that occasion he secured the most first preference votes out of any Fianna Fáil candidate and secured election to Dáil Éireann. He has been re-elected at each subsequent election.^[3]

In his first few years as a TD he served on a number of Oireachtas committees, including those dealing with Irish language, crime and finance. Martin enhanced his political profile during this period by serving as Lord Mayor of Cork in 1992. Two years later in December 1994 Bertie Ahern was elected as the new leader of Fianna Fáil as the party lost power and went into opposition in the Dáil. Martin, however, joined Ahern's new front bench at the start of 1995 as spokesperson on Education and the Gaeltacht.

When Fianna Fáil returned to power following the 1997 general election Martin was appointed to the newly-expanded position of Minister for Education and Science. At 36 he was the youngest member of Bertie Ahern's first cabinet. As minister his tenure was characterised by an increase in spending at all levels of education, while a number of educational initiatives, such as a review of the primary school curriculum and the introduction of specal needs assistants, were also initiated.^[4]

In a cabinet reshuffle in January 2000 Martin was appointed Minister for Health and Children. The health portfolio in Irish politics is seen as something of a ‘poisoned chalice’. Martin's predecessor, Brian Cowen, described the position as ‘like being in Angola’, because landmines can go off at any time.^[5]

In spite of tough opposition, Martin introduced a ban on tobacco smoking in all Irish workplaces, including pubs and restaurants. The Minister announced on 30 January 2003 his intention to have the ban in place on 1 January 2004.^[6] He visited New York in September 2003 to look at how a similar ban worked there and signed the UN's framework convention on tobacco control at their headquarters.^[7] The smoking ban was introduced on 29 March 2004,^[8] making Ireland the first country in the world to introduce a blanket ban on smoking in the workplace.^[9] Martin was presented with an award by the European Respiratory Society in Glasgow on 4 September 2004 for his work on the smoking ban.^[10]

He introduced the first overhaul^{[citation needed]} of the health system in 30 years. It included the abolition of the health boards and establishment of the Health Service Executive. He deregulated the country's pharmacies from 31 January 2002.^[11]

Martin failed to overcome some of the traditional problems associated with the health service, such as hospital bed shortages and long accident and emergency queues.^{[citation needed]} Other problems included a controversy over the retention of organs^{[citation needed]} taken from the dead without permission. He also had to deal with several infant deaths due to shortcomings in maternity wards. He was criticised for failing to implement the root-and-branch reforms suggested by the long-awaited Hanley^{[citation needed]} report.

In October 2003, he promised to examine cases of symphysiotomy in Irish hospitals which occurred during the 1940s and 1950s and offered free health care to those affected.^[12]

In September 2004, Martin did a straight swap with Mary Harney, to become Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. In September 2005 the government's economic record on the cost of living came under scrutiny from the RTÉ television programme Rip-Off Republic. This led to Martin abolishing the controversial Groceries Order 1987, a piece of legislation which prohibited the sale of groceries below cost price.^[13]

Letters containing death threats and shotgun cartridges, from a group calling itself the Irish Citizens Defence Force, were posted to Martin on 29 February 2008 at a prominent Dublin fertility clinic.^[14]

On the resignation of Bertie Ahern in May 2008, Martin supported Brian Cowen.^[15]

In a cabinet reshuffle in May 2008, following the election of Brian Cowen as Taoiseach, Martin became Minister for Foreign Affairs. One of the first issues that he had to deal with was the referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon. Martin led the Government campaign. Despite the overwhelming majority of Government and Opposition parties being supporting a Yes vote, the electorate rejected the Government's recommendation. Martin and Cowen failed to convince the Irish public to support the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon and this protest expressed in the referendum on 12 June 2008 plunged the government into a major political crisis.^[16]

In February 2009, he travelled to Latin America for the first time, with stopovers in Mexico and Havana, the first time an Irish Government Minister had made an official visit to Cuba.^[17]

In September 2009, he travelled to Khartoum to discuss the kidnapping of Sharon Commins and Hilda Kawuki with the Sudanese government.^[18]

On 7 February 2010, he defended the €4.4 million redevelopment of the Irish embassy in Ottawa.^[19] While in Brussels on 22 February 2010, he questioned Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel Avigdor Lieberman over the use of fraudulent Irish passports in the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.^[20]

On 17 March 2010, he met President of the United States Barack Obama in the White House, Washington, D.C. alongside Taoiseach Brian Cowen.^[21][22]

On 26 May 2010, he met with senior Chinese leaders in Beijing to discuss relations between China and Ireland before travelling onward to Shanghai.^[23] While there he visited the Irish pavilion at Expo 2010 in the city.^[24]

On 28 June 2010, he began a five-day trip to Uganda and Ethiopia where he visited buildings and met ministers and businesspeople.^[25]

As Minister for Foreign Affairs, Martin has been critical of the blockade of Gaza, particularly since being denied access to the area in 2009. He wrote to Spain (as President of the EU) to suggest that the body send a team of foreign ministers to the area in 2010.^[26] He made his first visit there himself on 25 February 2010, on a one-day humanitarian mission through the Egyptian border.^[27] In doing so Martin became the first Western foreign minister to visit Gaza since Hamas took control in 2007.^[28] While in Gaza the Minister toured hospitals and schools.^[29] He was accompanied by United Nations vehicles.^[28]

I would appeal to the Israeli government and all concerned to lift this blockade. Micheál Martin appeals to Israel while in Gaza on 25 February 2010.^[30]

Martin wrote about his experience in the International Herald Tribune the following week.^[31][32] On 7 April 2010, The Huffington Post published a response, "Dear Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin", from David Harris,executive director of the American Jewish Committee, ^[33]

Martin was Minister for Foreign Affairs during the Gaza flotilla raid and the aftermath of this incident. He told Dáil Éireann that he had requested that the Israeli government allow the MV Rachel Corrie to deliver its cargo of aid to Gaza instead of involving itself in "further bloodshed".^[34]

In September 2010 doubts about Brian Cowen's abilities and political judgement as Taoiseach and party leader emerged following a disastrous early-morning radio interview on Morning Ireland. Cowen survived, however, that same month Martin admitted that he and other cabinet members, namedly Brian Lenihan and Dermot Ahern, harboured ambitions to lead the party should a vacancy arise.^[35] While some backbench rebel Fianna Fáil TD's called for Cowen to go, no cabinet minister publicly came forward to challenge the incumbent. In spite of this, Martin once again expressed an interest in running for the leadership of Fianna Fáil once the vacancy arises in December 2010 on RTÉ's Saturday View radio programme.^[36]

On 16 January 2011, Martin announced that he felt the Fianna Fáil leadership needed to change and that he would vote against Brian Cowen in the upcoming confidence motion in his leadership of the party. He offered to resign as Minister for Foreign Affairs, but his resignation was initially refused by Cowen.^[37][38] Following the result of the motion, which Cowen won, the resignation was accepted.

On 22 January 2011, just days after winning a vote of confidence, Brian Cowen announced that he was stepping down as leader of Fianna Fáil but would remain as Taoiseach. On a special RTÉ News programme that day a number of Fianna Fáil TDs came on the air and publicly backed Martin for the leadership. Later that evening Martin formally announced his intention to seek support for the leadership of Fianna Fáil.^[39] He was immediately seen as the front-runner, however, a number of other candidates entered the field to ensure a contest. Finance Minister Brian Lenihan was seen as Martin's biggest rival for the position, however, his position was weakened due to his public declaration of support for Cowen the previous week. Éamon Ó Cuív and Mary Hanifin, while both having different support bases within the party, were both seen as outsiders.

On 26 January 2011 the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party met to elect their new leader. Martin was proposed by Dara Calleary and seconded by Áine Brady and received 33 first preference votes. It was more than double that of his nearest rival Ó Cuív, however, he was still short of winning the election. After Hanifin and Lenihan had been eliminated from the contest and their surplus votes distributed Martin emerged with 50 votes and was duly elected the eight leader of Fianna Fáil.^{[40] [41]}

On 31 January 2011 Martin named Mary Hanafin as the new deputy leader, while the government chief whip John Curran is named as justice spokesman. Barry Andrews was appointed as health spokesman, Billy Kelleher, transport, Peter Power, foreign affairs and trade and Niall Collins defence. He also appointed Willie O'Dea, a former Minister of Defence who resigned in disgrace in February 2010 over an affidavit controversy as communications spokesperson. Brian Lenihan will continue as the finance spokesman in addition to being Finance Minister.^[42]

Martin is married to Mary O'Shea, whom he met at university, and together the couple have had five children. In October 2010 Martin's youngest daughter, Léana, died in Great Ormond Street Hospital after suffering from a heart condition.^[43] Eleven years earlier a son, Ruairí, died in infancy.

• Katie Hannon (2004). The Naked Politician. Gill & Macmillan. ISBN 9780717136940.

• Micheál Martin's official website
• Micheál Martin's page on the Fianna Fáil website
• Profile of Martin's tenure as Minister for Health

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