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MICHEÁL MARTIN has revealed his hopes and dreams for life after public office.
The Fianna Fáil leader appeared to be somewhat taken by surprise when he was asked the question, but quickly recovered and said he is not worried about retirement.
“Part of me is even thinking of going back to college,” Martin said.
“I’d finish my English degree.”
He revealed the plans while participating in Virgin Media’s new TV show ‘The Assembly Ireland’, which sees a group of autistic and neurodivergent reporters interview well-known Irish personalities.
For an hour, the Taoiseach was peppered with questions ranging from whether he could do an impression of US President Donald Trump (he refused) to issues around Government policy like housing, mental health and disability services.
The programme offered a different look into the personal life of the Taoiseach by blending lighthearted questions (“Why don’t you like biscuits?”) with more serious ones, like how Martin was able to keep going after the loss of two of his children.
Martin and his wife Mary lost their son Ruairí in 1999, and their daughter Léana died in 2010 shortly before her eighth birthday. They have three other children, Micheál Aodh, Aoibhe, and Cillian.
“Ruairí died from a cot death at five weeks old. And up to that stage of our lives, we had never experienced that kind of trauma, but that hit me for six at the time, and Mary,” the Taoiseach said.
“The two children, Micheál and Aoibhe, were four and two respectively. And you know what? You have to get up the following morning to get them breakfast and to play. And something in the human instincts, you continue on. You keep going.”
Martin said that his daughter Léana’s death led him to a lot of soul-searching.
“You could retreat and not do things, and I was young enough at the time, but if I had retired at that time or didn’t go on, I think that would probably have had a worse effect on my life,” he said.
“And you don’t make these decisions totally rationally. You just keep going, in some respects.
“Work and routine and nature are very, very important to overcome or deal with trauma. It will never bring your loved ones back, but it enables you to try and live life to the best of your ability and to the fullest extent that you possibly can.”
Perhaps the most enjoyable moment of the episode came as a result of the quick thinking of Laragh, 30.
“I understand that you have said, if you were an animal, you would probably be an elephant. Which of an elephant’s characteristics do you think resonates most strongly with your personality?,” she asked.
“I think the social bond and the memory,” the Taoiseach replied.
Laragh: “Okay, what’s my name?”
Taoiseach: “Huh?”
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. Oh dear,” Laragh laughed, happy to have caught the Taoiseach out.
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