Catherine Martin | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Martin in 2022 | |
| Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media | |
| In office 27 June 2020 – 23 January 2025 | |
| Taoiseach | |
| Preceded by | Josepha Madigan |
| Succeeded by | Patrick O'Donovan |
| Deputy leader of the Green Party | |
| In office 11 June 2011 – 14 July 2024 | |
| Leader | Eamon Ryan |
| Preceded by | Mary White |
| Succeeded by | Róisín Garvey |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office February 2016 – November 2024 | |
| Constituency | Dublin Rathdown |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1972-09-30)30 September 1972 (age 53) Carrickmacross,Monaghan, Ireland |
| Political party | Green Party |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Vincent P. Martin (brother) |
| Alma mater | Maynooth University |
| Website | catherinemartin |
Catherine Martin (born 30 September 1972) is an IrishGreen Party politician who served asMinister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media from June 2020 to January 2025 and wasdeputy leader of the Green Party from June 2011 to July 2024. She served as aTeachta Dála (TD) for theDublin Rathdown constituency from 2016 to 2024.[1] She lost her seat at the2024 general election.[2]
Martin was born in 1972 and is a native ofCarrickmacross,Monaghan. She studied atMaynooth University. She was a teacher of English and Music, and the head of the Green Schools Committee at St. Tiernan's Community School inDundrum for 15 years prior to being elected to theDáil.[3] She is married toFrancis Noel Duffy,[4] also a former Green Party TD and they have three children.[5] Catherine and Francis first met in 1999 during a local election in their native Carrickmacross in County Monaghan, where Catherine's brotherVincent P. Martin and Francis' father were both campaigning for office.[6] Vincent is also a member of the Green Party. In June 2020, Vincent became a senator on the Green Party entering government.[7]
She joined the Green Party in 2007. In 2009, her brother, Vincent, began a hiatus from politics and as a result Catherine was co-opted to Vincent's seat on theMonaghan County Council.[8] Catherine in turn vacated the seat on the death of the Martins' mother and co-opted it to local green party member Darcy Lonergan.[9] She was elected as deputy leader of the Green Party in 2011 simultaneous toEamon Ryan becoming leader. In 2014, she was elected toDún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council,[4] and was elected to theDáil following the2016 general election, after receiving 4,122 first preference votes.[10]
She was the Green Party's Education spokesperson.[3] Martin was elected the first chair of The Irish Women's Parliamentary Caucus in November 2017, an organisation she spearheaded the creation of.[11]
In May 2020, following nominations from several councillors, she said that she would give 'serious consideration' into running for leadership of the Green Party in the2020 Green Party leadership election.[12] On 6 June, it was confirmed she would contest the leadership.[13] Martin received 200 nominations for the contest, four times as many as was needed.[13] Within the Green Party, Martin's candidacy is seen to represent the views of younger, more radical Green Party members who did not wish for the party to enter into coalition withFine Gael orFianna Fáil, in contrast to the leadership of Eamon Ryan which is seen to represent the moderate "old guard" who are open to working with those parties.[14]
Despite this, Martin was the lead negotiator for the Green Party in the government formation talks with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, and after a deal was reached, Martin endorsed the deal and argued in favour of it.[15] It was noted at the time Martin's husbandFrancis Noel Duffy abstained from the vote on the deal,[15] and later spoke out against the deal.[16] Martin suggested that this was "part of a healthy debate" within the Green Party over the merits of the deal.[16]
In July 2020, Ryan retained the leadership of the Green Party by narrowly defeating Martin by 994 votes (51.24%) to 946 (48.76%), a winning margin of 48 votes (2.47%), in a postal ballot of party members (turnout was 66.7% of the 2,923 ballots sent out, and there were 10 spoiled votes (0.5%) among the 1,950 ballots returned).[17]
On entering government, Martin was appointed asMinister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, succeeding bothJosepha Madigan andShane Ross in different aspects of her portfolio.[18]
On 17 December 2022, she was re-appointed to the same positions following Leo Varadkar's appointment as Taoiseach.[19]
On 22 June 2023,RTÉ admitted that it paid its top presenterRyan Tubridy €345,000 more than publicly declared between 2017 and 2022.[20] Martin said it was unacceptable that the expected standards of transparency and accountability had not been met.[21] Two days later, Martin met with chair of theRTÉ Board Siún Ní Raghallaigh and ordered a full review of the governance and culture at RTÉ and said its executive board was not told of the hidden payments that caused an "existential" crisis for the national broadcaster.[22]
Martin lost her seat in the2024 Irish general election.
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| Preceded byasMinister for Transport, Tourism and Sport | Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media 2020–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded byas Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht | ||
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