Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
IT AIN’T EASY being Green, but there’s a small collection of councillors, local representatives, volunteers and one former cabinet minister who are slowly but surely rebuilding the Green Party from the ruins of 2011.
Catherine Martin likes to describe herself as being among the ‘new Greens’ having been elected to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council last year. So too was her husband, South Dublin county councillor Francis Noel Duffy, who’s also, unsurprisingly, a Green Party member.
Stating the obvious, Martin told TheJournal.ie this week: “It’s quite a green house! It’s quite busy. People actually wonder how we do it.
But we have our own system and there’s always one of us with the children… Maybe it’s good that we’re on two different councils, but I think one of us would have been very bored had we not got elected.
It’s little surprise that the discussion around the dinner table or in the living room focuses quite a lot on what they’re working on as councillors. She spoke of one recent exciting Friday night:
We put the children to bed, sat down, took the two laptops out and suddenly it was nearly 1 o’clock in the morning and we’d been discussing developments plans, but we loved it. Then I said to Francis: ‘How did this happen?’ But we’re happy.
A teacher of Music and English in Dundrum for the past 16 years, Martin and Duffy both grew up in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan but met properly when they joined the Greens in 2007 amid concerns about the rezoning of land in their home county.
Martin is the party’s education spokesperson as well as it’s deputy leader. She admits that it’s not sexy to be in the Green Party, saying it was the only one before the economic collapse to speak out against “casino economics”.
“What I don’t like is populist politics. I think there’s a danger that some of the other smaller parties are populist and you can’t have that. You can’t be against everything without presenting an alternative,” she explained.
She believes there is a space for the Green Party in Irish politics and shares Eamon Ryan’s view that the party can realistically get a team of TDs into the next Dáil. But Martin admits she would prefer if it stayed in opposition rather than go into government.
She is contesting the ‘constituency of death’, Dublin Rathdown, which has gone from five to three seats and includes prominent names like Shane Ross, Alan Shatter and Alex White.
“I think I’ve a fighting chance of the last seat,” she said, adding that the two-and-a-half years she spent canvassing prior to last year’s local election had taught her a lot.
I saw a change over the two-and-a-half years, it was very interesting. Voters had been promised a democratic revolution and it didn’t present itself.
As one of the few female politicians in a leadership role in Irish politics, Martin is quite obviously passionate about getting more women involved in politics. But she admits it can be difficult to convince them.
She explained:
With women you have to ask and ask again. I find with men if you ask them would they do an interview, they’d say: ‘Yeah, do you have two for me?’ Whereas a woman will go: ‘Ah, really? When is that interview?’ They have to be asked and asked again.
Why? Martin believes it’s about confidence and the fact the Dáil can be “a little bit feisty” and not all that attractive a place for “young new people to come into”.
“It’s like a national theatre rather than our treasured parliament,” she said.
Everyone in the Green Party would readily admit it has little or no money, having lost all its State funding after 2011, but Martin claims this hasn’t been a bad thing.
“We lost our money but, ironically, we’ve became more united. I’d say we’re more united than any other party. At selection conventions we’re all behind each other, we’re all encouraging each other. Candidates are feeding off each other,” she added.
The Green Party annual conference takes place in Kilkenny tonight and all-day tomorrow.
More details here and the conference brochure and agenda is here.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
So he got sick and she moved in 6 or 7 weeks ago? How did she afford the private rental house for the last 5 years?
Having said that, allowing her to stay until the end of Jan would hardly seem excessive, although there is probably some family that are entitled to the house waiting for years and hoping to have a place for Christmas.
Where did you get the 6/7 weeks & 5 years figures?
Agree that leaving them in the house until the end of January does not seem excessive, would really seem to be fair on the children who are grieving for their father
read the original article in the Wexford Echo – link included above
Read it there, cheers
Awful story but (and I’m ashamed to say) I’m becoming a little numb to these tragic stories as they are now a daily headline.
Where did she live before she moved in. She should have thought about her children before she left her own house.
She moved in with the children’s father to care for him during an illness. They must of got to see more of their Dad before his death, I think that would of been the most important thing for them.
Thanks Dara, I’ll try remember that next time
Why wasn’t she living with him all the time? before his illness? I’m sure it’s not as it seems tbh.
That’s really none of anyone’s business Donna.
None of these stories are what they seem
They split up years ago and only moved in at the end of September
Donna, the story from the Wexford Echo says they were married but separated with 5 years.
Alan , she went public about it herself so there’s bound to be questions asked .
Indeed there will be Suzie but why someone isn’t living with their children’s father isn’t relevant to the story. They were separated, beyond that is personal between partners and no one else’s business. Just because she went public doesn’t mean her life should be dissected.
Alan, it is relevant when she is looking for her estranged partners house. This just stinks of her trying to jump the housing list at the cost of someone else on the list who has probably been waiting the 10 years she is refusing too and now playing the sympathy card
You may need to read the piece again vocal. She’s not looking for the house. She has, in fact, said its not suitable for the family long term. All she’s looking for is a bit more time to sort out a new place to live and let her children grieve for a reasonable length of time. A couple of months shouldn’t make that much of a difference.
Also, the reason for a couple not being together has nothing to do with the housing list and is a personal issue and should be left as such.
You’re a quite heartless individual vocal……I really think some commentators here should be cast into the sea …how do some people become so hard faced
She is not entitled to keep the house and I know that’s harsh but the family at the top if the waiting list could be in more need of this home.
Read the article. She’s not asking to keep the house. She makes it very clear that she’s just asking to stay in in for a couple more months while she and her children get over a the loss.
Bereavement and moving house are two of the most stressful things you can go through, surely it’s not too much to ask that they not have both at the same time?
Who in the name of Jesus takes a picture at a loved ones grave?
Agreed, creepy looking smiles. Is that for this story or this a normal thing to do now?
Picture added for added sympathy
Seems to be. Was on Facebook a few days ago and seen a pic that was taken with a corpse at the wake – really, really creepy looking
Thank god someone said it, I get creeped out quite regularly on a daily basis from people posing for photos at a grave
People under the influence of Guinness farts perhaps?
The media does it all the time, they also film entire funerals and burials and put them on TV.
From the report she moved in to help with his illness – not because she knew he was dying, the house isn’t suitable for the family, their relationship seems to have not been conventional as in she lived elsewhere, maybe in private accommodation.
All she is looking for is some time, up until the end of January until she can save and move on – she will continue to pay the rent which is fair enough.
Have to say that some people have a cold and bitter outlook on the world.
They see the words “council house”and it’s open season.
Wants to work all of a sudden??? Moved into council house when she knew her partner was going to die. YeaHHHHH. Does she take us all to be fools?
Mary , there is people who will be fooled by this .
All of a sudden? Where’s that from? She’s got 1 lung and her surgeon says she’s not fit to work. She’ll hardly be able to do much if she needs oxygen regularly.
*Correction – occasionally, not regularly
Save for a deposit and buy a house like eveyone else or just dont have kids.
Maggie not everyone want’s to own a house
Yes they want everything free instead!
Some of the posters on this thread make me ashamed to be part of the human race…..this woman buried her children’s father 6 weeks ago….she has a serious life threatening illness…2 children could possibly be orphans any day …some posters here should be completely ashamed of themselves
Agreed Derek. It’s 2 kids who’ve just lost their father here. Letting them stay (in what they probably see as dads house) until after Christmas isn’t really asking too much. The mother is only asking for some time.
Pure heartless decision, lacking any common sense or human decency – like many posters here. Like you, this right here is the reason I don’t like people.
I don’t understand what could be so wrong in some people’s lives that they have to abuse a fragile woman and 2 small children who have lost their father and now they will lose their home ..shame on anybody who supports this decision ..
F**kheads Derek. It’s not their lives, it’s them.
If she knew he was dying she should have married him to avoid all of this.
They were both parents and should have looked after the children.
Tough situation but anybody with a bit of common sense would be looking out for the best option going forward not just ignoring it.
they were married – separated 5 years ago according to the Wexford Echo story
I heard her on the radio this morning but only got the tail ended of it. She moved in with him due to him being sick but also because the rent in her own place went up and the rent allowance went down so she could no longer afford it. Think the plan was to help out while he was sick and save towards a deposit for a new place. All she is asking for is to be allowed to stay till Janurary so her kids can grief for their father properly over christmas which is going to be hard for them and also to give her time to save.
I suppose we can take some comfort in the fact that people here are being almost as unkind to this family as they warw towards the bereaved travellers a couple of weeks ago. Equality at last!
have your say