Micheál Martin elected as the 15th Taoiseach…

Micheál Martin is a lesson in having patience. If you hang around long enough and play the long game you eventually get the top job. The Corkman is not exactly the most exciting politician but maybe a steady hand on the tiller is exactly what Ireland needs in these turbulent times.

As I said in the Dáil earlier, being elected Taoiseach of a free Republic is the greatest honour that any Irish person could hope for. I am humbled by the responsibility and I pledge to work night and day with my partners in Government to realise the great potential of our nation

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) June 27, 2020

With the Greens acting as a buffer in a historic coalition with their old enemy of Fine Gael, it will be interesting to see how it all holds together. Never has the Benjamin Franklin phrase, ‘We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.’ been more appropriate.

I liked this quote from an Irish Times profile of Martin:

One Fianna Fáil TD told the present writer several years ago that he didn’t like Martin; didn’t trust him. He didn’t like the way his breakfast was constructed. “I see him there [in the Dáil self-service restaurant] every morning having his breakfast. Muesli. Fruit,” the TD, a former cabinet minister, spat with contempt. “I love a nice big fry . . . soft runny eggs, I love ‘em,” the TD said.

His suspicions about Martin – a bit of an altar boy – were shared by many of his colleagues.

Years ago I was at the Merriman Summer School in Lisdoonvarna.  Martin was giving the keynote speech, and while I was not expecting much he actually spoke really well and seemed to be across his brief. He is the very definition of a safe pair of hands.

I imagine Leo Varadkar will be more than delighted to be leaving on a high note and let someone else endure the Covid-19 cleanup and the looming Brexit.

“Dáil Éireann – Election of An Taoiseach – 27 June 2020” by Houses of the Oireachtas is licensed under CC BY

Brian O'Neill

Managing Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.