Speech by Micheál Martin on the nomination of Taoiseach

Check against delivery

A Cheann Comhairle, is onóir mhór a bheith ainmnithe ag Dáil Éireann chun freastal mar Thaoiseach ar an saorPhoblacht seo.

Is pribhléid í seo agus geallaim nach ndéanfaIdh mé talamh slán di go deo.

Is maith is eol dom agus cuimhneoidh mé i gcónaí go bhfuil Oifig an Taoisigh ina seasamh mar chuid de chóras daonlathach níos leithne.

Córas daonlathach ina bhfuil údarás agus mandáid an phobail ag gach duine againn agus dualgas orainn go léir freastal ar ár náisiún ar an iomlán.

I would like to thank all the deputies who supported me. From my own party Fianna Fáil, from the Fine Gael Party and from the Regional Independent Group, all of whom negotiated in an upfront and honest manner.

It is a sad development in many parliaments in the world that they have become more angry and divisive. They have become forums dominated by the inflated rhetoric of demonstrations rather than a place where different groups can argue in good faith and respectfully disagree. On the day where we carry out our most important constitutional duty as representatives of the people, we should take a moment to remember and respect those things which we share.

It is a profound honour to be nominated to serve as head of the government in a free, democratic and diverse republic.

Today I am deeply conscious of the democratic tradition which our country has developed over more than a century.

We should never take for granted the freedoms and opportunities secured for us by the generations who sat here before us, and by the men and women who fought and campaigned for the establishment of Dáil Éireann.

Our democracy has remained strong through some of the gravest challenges of a turbulent century.

We have continued to have free debate and free elections.

We have never wavered in our commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes.

The most powerful thing about the mandate which each of us holds is that it is based on the support of our families, our supporters, in most cases our parties, and above all our communities.

I could not be more thankful to all of those who have been at my side and have helped me to achieve the honour of being nominated to serve as Taoiseach.

It is the nature of politics that the focus is mostly on the few of us who achieve office, but the role of those who work with and for us is central.

I want to thank those who work for our party and have kept our voice and our representation so strong.

They never believed the predictions and had faith that our people and our policies would prevail.

I also want to thank the many friends and colleagues who have helped me over the years and who, with typical Cork modesty, advocate on a regular basis for the wellbeing of my home city and county.

As they have grown, my children Micheál Aodh, Aoibhe and Cillian have moved from being observers, to being pillars for me. They are unflinching in their advice and constant in their support.

I have been blessed to have a partner in Mary who has done so much more than just keep me rooted.

No position I have held, and nothing I have achieved would have been possible without her.

I would also like to acknowledge my wider family and especially my late parents, Paddy and Lana.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the passing of my father. This week every year I remember all he did for us and the values which he lived by every day.

A strong and athletic sporting man he was also quiet and determined in the small and large steps he took every day to help others.

The CIE Widow and Orphans Fund which he founded, helping hundreds of families at tough times of the year, was just one example of his commitment to turning values into action.

Ours was a home where service to the wider community – and an understanding of shared responsibility within society – was always the defining value.

Turners’ Cross was a wonderful place to grow up in and I will always be grateful to Coláiste Chríost Rí, both primary and secondary, for the education and encouragement which our teachers gave to me and my generation.

My respect and belief in the essential role teachers play in building communities and society stems from the inspiring guidance I received from many of my teachers who were ambitious for us and set the sky as the limit.

It was also there that I first learned of the power of political action, as few of us working class kids could have hoped to complete school without the revolution which Minister for Education Donogh O’Malley and former Taoiseach Jack Lynch introduced.

As I look at Ireland today, it is clear that there can be a degree of cynicism towards politics. Too often we dismiss the motivation of others, especially those we disagree with.

I reject this. I believe in the good faith of those who seek to serve their communities in elective office – and I believe that politics remains a force for good, a force for positive change.

I hope that we can have a cooperative Oireachtas in the coming years, where we try to emphasise positive discussion.

For my part I intend to remain open to constructive ideas from Deputies from all parts of the House.

When nominating members of the new government I will address more specific policy points, but I think it is important to state the core principles on which I intend to lead the government.

When reflecting on the legacy of republicanism from the 1916 generation of which he was a part, Seán Lemass always stressed the idea of responding to the needs of today and shaping the future.

For him, true republicanism was not about following the past – it was about a willingness to move on and create new ways forward.

He summed this up with his favourite quote from Pearse: “every generation has its task”.

For us today, for this generation of political leaders, the task is to protect Ireland’s strength at a moment of real threat, while also addressing critical social needs.

By any reasonable measure this is a challenging moment in world history.

Ireland is an open democracy with an open economy – we cannot expect to stand unaffected on the sidelines.

We must protect and renew an economic model which delivers high employment and resources for public services.

Central to this we must strengthen our three essential relationships with Europe, with the U.S. and with the U.K.

Europe is the essential foundation upon which we rely. This week marks the anniversary of the day when Jack Lynch and Patrick Hillary signalled our commitment to a European future by signing our Treaty of Accession.

The government I lead will work every day in this same spirit. We will work to help reform and strengthen the European Union.

We will work with others to overcome urgent economic, environmental and political challenges which threaten our shared interests and values.

We will not flinch in our support for protecting Europe’s freedom and democracy.

Our relationship of kinship with the United States is older than our state. It has endured because we have continued to renew bonds of respect and cooperation.

We are not naïve about the realities of change, but equally the Ireland-America relationship is one which benefits us both and it will emerge strongly no matter what.

The United Kingdom remains a close social, cultural and economic neighbour for us, and we will begin operating a new systematic approach to consultation and cooperation.

And internationally, we will be an active voice for the values of peace, cooperation and development.

We will follow the profoundly welcome ceasefire in Gaza with a sustained programme of humanitarian and reconstruction aid. We will do this through cooperation with the World Food Programme and UNRWA.

Protecting and renewing Ireland’s economic strength and standing in the world must, as I have said, also be accompanied by sustained action on other urgent needs.

60 years ago this month Seán Lemass went to Stormont to meet Terrence O’Neill.

They agreed that we should be able to promote our constitutional objectives while also working together for shared development. It is a great tragedy that their new departure was not allowed to achieve more.

The new government will push forward on the historic task of building a lasting reconciliation.

We will implement the largest ever programme of North/South research and investment, opening critical links and building both engagement and understanding through a further strengthened Shared Island Initiative.

Too many people are struggling to afford a home to buy or rent. Helping them will be a priority for the new government and for the Dáil.

Too many people with disabilities and their families have to fight too hard to access the services they deserve. We must begin a new era in support for them – not just increasing resources but step-changing the scale, nature and delivery of services.

This is not the work of one minister, it must be the work of every part of government and of this Oireachtas.

We must deliver both resources and reform to help all our children to get the best start in life – through smaller classes, through community development programmes and through targeting resources to help families experiencing poverty.

We must protect nature and biodiversity, and move forward in tackling the existential problem of climate change.

In all of this, the government I will lead will reject the sterile politics of the extremes. The empty gestures of those who want to impose inflexible ideologies when addressing issues which are as complex and diverse as our people.

Mine will be a government which seeks to work in a spirit of practical republicanism.

A spirit which has helped our country achieve so much in the past and which is essential if we are to meet the challenges of today.

A spirit which will create equality of opportunity for all ,which will work to underpin and promote the status,the dignity and independence of people with disabilities.

A spirit that will build more houses at an accelerated pace, and work every day to build reconcilaition between the different traditions on the island of Ireland.

I mo ról mar Thaoiseach ar an Rialtas nua seo ag tréimhse chorraitheach mhíshuaimhneach timpeall na cruinne, tá aidhm láidir agam obair leanúnach gan stad a dhéanamh gach aon lá mar Thaoiseach chun an tír seo a chur chun cinn, buntáistí agus luachanna na hÉireann a léiriú thar lear agus gan amhras beidh an Rialtas ag dul i ngleic leis na dúshláin mhóra timpeall orainn inniu.

Geallaim daoibh go mbeidh mé ag freastal ar mo dhícheall ar son na tíre seo.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh agus ní neart go cur le chéile.