Vincent P. Martin

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This article is about the Irish Green Party politician. For the Australian politician, see Vince Martin (politician).

Senator
Vincent P. Martin
Martin in 2020
Senator
Assumed office
29 June 2020
ConstituencyNominated by the Taoiseach
Personal details
Born1968 [citation needed]
Cavan, Ireland
Political partyGreen Party (since 2006)
Other political
affiliations		Fianna Fáil c. 1999
SpouseHilda Martin
Children2
Relatives
EducationSt Macartan's College
Alma mater

Vincent Peter Martin[2] (born 1968) is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as a Senator since June 2020, after being nominated by the Taoiseach.[3]

Early life[edit]

Martin was born in Cavan in 1968, but is a native of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan.[4] The "P" in his name is a reference not only to his middle name (Peter) but to his grand-uncle, Vincent "Pepper" Martin, a Brooklyn-based professional boxer who once made an appearance on the front cover of The Ring, a well-known sports magazine.[5] His sister, Catherine Martin, is the deputy leader of the Green Party, whom Vincent recruited in. Previous to politics, Martin was a barrister by profession.[6]

He is married to Hilda Cummins, with whom he has two children, a son and a daughter.[7][8]

Political career[edit]

Martin began his political career in 1999 as a member of Carrickmacross Town Council. He later became a Monaghan County Councillor in 2004 as an Independent member, however, previous to this some sources have stated he was a member of Fianna Fáil.[9][10] He lost his seat on Monaghan County Council in 2009. He served in local politics for 10 years and he was noted as one of the few representatives at that time who advocated for Environmentalism and stood firm on decisions about planning permission. In 2006, this prompted then Green Party leader John Gormley to recruit Martin into the Green Party.[8] In 2009, Martin stepped away from local politics to concentrate on being a barrister and to spend time with his newlywed wife.[6] He was expected to name fellow local Green Party member Darcy Lonergan as his replacement, but as Longeran was away studying in the United States,[6] Vincent instead co-opted his sister Catherine into the position.[10] Catherine vacated her seat upon the death of the Martins' mother and co-opted it to the returning Lonergan.[11]

Martin remained out of politics for a decade. In that time he moved to Naas in County Kildare. In 2019, he returned to politics, topping the poll in the Naas local electoral area at the 2019 local elections.[8]

In the 2020 general election, he ran as a Green Party candidate in Kildare North,[12] but was not elected. In June 2020, when the Green Party entered into government, Martin was nominated by the Taoiseach to the Seanad.[13] He was one of only two men among the 11 nominees.[14] In September 2020, Colm Kenny was co-opted to fill Martin's seat on Kildare County Council.[15]

Legal issues[edit]

On 9 February 2016, Martin drove his BMW through a red light at a pedestrian crossing in Dundrum, Dublin, striking a pram containing a baby; the child was thrown out of the pram onto the road but was not injured. The child's mother, Slovak-born Jana Novakova, suffered injuries to her right arm and shoulder, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder. She sued for damages; the case was settled in the High Court in 2022.[16][17][18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "CARRICK BARRISTER IS MADE SENIOR COUNSEL". The Northern Standard. Monaghan. 13 October 2017. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Calls to the Bar: Michaelmas Term". Thetimes.co.uk.
  3. ^ "Vincent P. Martin". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  4. ^ O'Meara, Paul (6 February 2020). "Vincent P. Martin is anything but green on the campaign trail". Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  5. ^ O'Meara, Paul (6 February 2020). "Vincent P. Martin is anything but green on the campaign trail". Retrieved 28 June 2020. The P in his name is a reference to his granduncle Vincent (Pepper) Martin, a US-based pro boxer who once figured on the front cover of Ring, the sport's prestigious magazine
  6. ^ a b c "Shock as Vincent P. Martin resigns". The Anglo-Celt. 9 November 2009. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Search family announcements - All notices". Notices.irishtimes.com. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Sheahan, Fionnán (28 January 2020). "The Green Martin machine aiming to outdo Healy-Raes". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ "Versatile Vincent". The Phoenix. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  10. ^ a b "GREEN BLUESHIRT ALLIANCE". The Phoenix. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Young Bloods – Catherine Martin". The Phoenix. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  12. ^ Horgan-Jones, Jack (4 February 2020) [18 January 2020]. "Election 2020: Kildare North constituency profile". Irish Times. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2020. Martin is a brother to Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin, and topped the poll in Naas while two other Greens were elected in Maynooth and Celbridge.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ "Taoiseach Micheál Martin announces his 11 Seanad nominees". TheJournal.ie. 27 June 2020. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  14. ^ Kelly, Fiach (27 June 2020). "Nine of the 11 Taoiseach's appointees to the Seanad are women". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  15. ^ "Green Party picks Naas man to replace Senator Vincent P Martin on Kildare County Council". Leinster Leader. 14 August 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ^ O’Loughlin, Ann (21 October 2022). "Green Party Senator settles case for driving BMW through red light into baby in a pram". Irish Examiner.
  17. ^ "Green Party senator who broke red light sued in High Court by injured mother of two who saw her infant thrown from pram". independent.
  18. ^ "Settlement reached in case against Green Party Senator who hit pram after driving through red light". The Irish Times.

External links[edit]

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