he opens up about life with the Fianna Fáil leader

Micheál Martin's son is a well-known figure in GAA circles. The eldest child of the Fíanna Fáil leader has been the first choice goalkeeper for the Cork senior football team over recent seasons.

After making a name for himself in underage games, including debuting at minor and winning a Munster U/21 Football Championship, Micheál Aodh Martin quickly rose up the ranks in Gaelic football. He was the goalie during the 2015 National Football League and has been a constant presence on the panel for nearly ten years.

Unfortunately, a groin injury kept Martin out of action for Cork in the McGrath Cup and the first three league matches last year. The GAA star also had an MRI following a similar injury that sidelined him during the Munster semi-final against Kerry in 2022.

Now 30, Micheál Aodh has also tasted success at club level with Nemo Rangers, winning five Cork Premier Senior Football Championships and two Munster Senior Club Football Championships, despite the club losing the last two Cork finals. The goalie has previously gone viral, particularly when he was seen voting with his famous father, mother, and sister.

Social media users were quick to comment on his good looks. "(He got) an awful slagging from the teammates at the time. I think it took off because the marriage equality issue was taking off and my assistant came to the polling booth and just took an innocent enough snap and posted it and it went viral," the Tánaiste recalled, speaking to Doireann Garrihy on her 'Laughs of your Life' podcast.

In a recent video shared by Fianna Fáil, the Mícheál Aodh recently shared his experience of having a father in the public eye. He said: "To us, it was quite normal. He was a politician since I was a child and he was gone every Monday to Thursday or Friday. Covid was a big one as an adult. Waiting for the announcements, and it is your dad giving the announcements. That was as intense as it ever got, having him as a politician. That was strange, I suppose.

"But other than that we find it normal. Like, he's been our dad. I play matches, my brother plays matches and he goes to the games and that kind of stuff."

Micheál Aodh joked that his dad is 'always late to everything', but also spoke about his dedication to his job, saying: "He is very hard working and that is one thing he has passed onto us. There is no such thing as a day off in his job and that is the way it has been for as long as I can remember. It's kind of seven days a week. His phone is always going - there's no such thing as a summer holiday without the phone."

Micheál Martin and his wife Mary have had five children, including Micheál Aodh, Aoibhe, and Cillian. Their youngest daughter Leana sadly passed away in 2010 after developing a cardiac illness.

Tragically, they also lost a baby boy, Ruairi, five weeks after his birth a decade earlier.

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