Micheál Martin

Micheál Martin^[1] (born 1 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and is the current Minister for Foreign Affairs. He is a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork South Central constituency.^[2]

Early and private life

Martin was born in Cork in 1960. The son of Paddy Martin, a former international boxer, and Lana Corbett. He was educated locally at Coláiste Chríost Rí, a school on the south side of the city. Martin later attended University College Cork where he qualified with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He subsequently completed his Master of Arts thesis in history, before deciding to embark on a career as a secondary school teacher. For a year he was a teacher at Presentation Brothers College, Cork. Martin is married to Mary O'Shea and has four children – two sons and two daughters. He currently lives in Ballinlough in Cork.

Early political career

It was during his time at university that Martin first became involved in politics. He was a prominent member of the university cumann of Ógra Fianna Fáil, the youth wing of the party, and later served as national chairman of Ógra. Martin's political career began in earnest in 1985 when he was elected to Cork Corporation as a Fianna Fáil candidate. He served on that authority until 1997. A brother, Seán Martin, replaced him as a city councillor in 1997. Martin's twin brother Pádraig (also Fianna Fáil) was an unsuccessful candidate for Cork County Council at the 2009 local elections. Martin contested his first Dáil election at the 1987 general election, but was not successful.

Martin was eventually elected to Dáil Éireann for the Cork South Central constituency at the 1989 general election, and have 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 the Irish Language, Crime and Finance. Martin also 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.

Cabinet career: 1997–present

Minister for Education and Science

When Fianna Fáil returned to power in 1997 Martin was appointed to the newly-expanded position of Minister for Education and Science.

Minister for Health and Children

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.^[4]

During his incumbency, in spite of severe opposition, he introduced a ban on tobacco smoking in all Irish workplaces, including pubs and restaurants. The smoking ban was introduced on 29 March 2004^[5], making Ireland the first country in the world to introduce a blanket ban on smoking in the workplace.^[6]

He introduced the first overhaul^{[citation needed]} of the health system in 30 years which included the abolition of the health boards and the establishment of the Health Service Executive.

Martin's tenure included the failure 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 for Martin included a controversy regarding the retention of organs^{[citation needed]} from the deceased without permission, as well as several infant deaths due to shortcomings in maternity wards. He failed to implement the root-and-branch reforms suggested by the long-awaited Hanley^{[citation needed]} report.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment

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 regarding 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.^[7]

Minister for Foreign Affairs

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 headed-up the Government campaign. Despite the overwhelming majority of Government and Opposition parties being supportive of 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.^[8]

Martin, as Minister for Foreign Affairs, 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.^[9]

Death threat 2008

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

The future

Martin had been touted^{[citation needed]} as a possible future leader of Fianna Fáil. On the resignation of Bertie Ahern in May 2008, Martin supported Brian Cowen.^[10]

References

Sources

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

External links

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