Mícheál Martin

Mícheál Martin, TD
Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment
Incumbent
Assumed office September 29, 2004
Preceded by	Mary Harney
Minister for Health & Children
In office January 27, 2000 – September 29, 2004
Preceded by	Brian Cowen
Succeeded by	Mary Harney
Minister for Health & Children
In office June 26, 1997 – January 27, 2000
Preceded by	Niamh Bhreathnach
Succeeded by	Michael Woods
Personal details
Born	(1960-08-16) August 16, 1960 Cork Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse	Mary O'Shea

Mícheál Martin (Irish: Micheál Ó Máirtín; born 16 August, 1960) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He is a Teachta Dála (TD) for Cork South Central and is currently the Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment. He has previously served as Minister for Education & Science (1997-2000) and Minister for Health & Children (2000-2004).

Early & private life

Born in Cork in 1960, Mícheál Martin is the son of Paddy Martin, an international boxer. He was educated locally at Coláiste Chríost Rí and at University College Cork where he studied history. During his time at university Martin became interested in politics and joined the university cumann of Ógra Fianna Fáil, the youth organisation of the party. He later went on to become National Chairman of Ógra. Qualifying from UCC with a Master of Arts degree, he went on to become a secondary school teacher. Martin is married to Mary O'Shea and has four children.

Martin's political career began in 1985 when he was elected as a Fianna Fáil member of Cork Corporation, serving until 1999. In 1989 Micheál Martin was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for Cork South Central, and has retained his seat ever since. Three years later in 1992 he became Lord Mayor of Cork. His brother, Seán Martin, joined him as a local councillor in 1997, himself later serving as Mayor of Cork. In 1994 Bertie Ahern became the new leader of Fianna Fáil, naming Martin as the Fianna Fáil Spokesperson for Education and the Gaeltacht on the front bench.

Cabinet Minister

When Fianna Fáil returned to power in 1997 Martin was the automatic choice to become Minister for Education & Science. At 36 he was the youngest member of Ahern's government. His own teaching background served him well in this task as he was regarded as being an excellent minister doing well for the education sector.

In a cabinet reshuffle in January 2000 Martin was appointed Minister for Health & Children, succeeding Brian Cowen. The health portfolio in Irish politics is seen as something of a poisoned chalice for a TD with promotion and leadership ambitions. Having left the Department after a prolonged nurses strike the former Minister Cowen referred to the portfoilio as like being in Angola. Minister Martin is seen by his supporters as having been a good Health Minister. However, he tried but failed to overcome such problems as hospital bed shortages, long Accident and Emergency queues, organ retention scandals and infant deaths. It is questionable whether Martin has always put his ministerial duties before his personal ambition in trying to reform the Irish health system. The failure to implement the root-and-branch reforms suggested by the long-awaited Hanly report is the most obvious example of this.

In 2003 Minister Martin met with severe opposition over his plans to introduce a ban on tobacco smoking in all Irish workplaces, including pubs and restaurants. The most vocal opposition came from publicans who claimed the introduction of a ban would result in a loss of profit for them. However, Martin did not relent and the smoking ban was introduced on 29 March, 2004, thus making the Republic of Ireland the first country in the world to introduce a blanket ban on smoking in the workplace. Martin has received worldwide praise from health chiefs for his courage in introducing the ban, which has a 95% compliance rate. In September 2004 his achievement was recognised by the European Respiratory Society when they presented him with an award.

On September 29, 2004 another cabinet reshuffle took place. It was widely expected that Martin would vacate the Health portfolio, and was even tipped to become Foreign Minister. In the end he did a straight swap with Mary Harney, become Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, one of the senior economic ministeries in the government.

The Future

Mícheál Martin, Brian Cowen (Irish Finance Minister) and Dermot Ahern (Irish Foreign Minister), are seen as possible contenders to succeed Bertie Ahern as leader of Fianna Fáil. Depending on the timing of Bertie Ahern's departure and his appointments to the Cabinet or Front Bench after the 2007 general election, Mary Hanafin and Brian Lenihan, Jr. are also seen as possible candidates. Martin has indicated his interest in becoming leader of the Party and possibly Taoiseach if Ahern resigned in his own time. However, he is reluctant to comment further on his political ambition and has stated that he is satisfied serving in the Cabinet at the moment. Martin is a popular politician, receiving the hignest number of first preference votes in the 2002 general election. In spite of this, his tenure as Minister for Health was seen to do some damage to Martin's political career, so much so that in Dáil political circles he was referred to as the "Former Future Taoiseach".

Political career

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External links

• Micheál Martin's website
• Micheál Martin's page on the Fianna Fáil website
• Micheál Martin's electoral history (ElectionsIreland.org)

This page incorporates information from the Oireachtas Members Database