Although Carrickmacross politician, Catherine Martin, has announced she will not seek the leadership of the Green Party and has stood down as deputy leader, the Monaghan connection remains strong within the greens. When Eamon Ryan stepped down as Green Party leader on Tuesday, Catherine Martin was in Miami but, followed shortly after with a statement of her own declaring her resignation as deputy leader. Catherine Martin will, however, continue in her role as Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, which she has held since 2020, and said she would contest her seat in the Dublin Rathdown constituency in the next general election.
Deputy Martin's husband, Noel Duffy, also from Carrickmacross, is a Green Party TD in Dublin South West and is the party's spokesperson on Housing. Deputy Martin's brother, Senator Vincent P. Martin, travelled from his constituency in Kildare to canvass for Carrickmacross-Castleblayney local election candidate, Tate Donnelly, but, it "wasn't to be his day".
Senator Vincent P. Martin told the Joe Finnegan Show, he thought his sister should've run for the leadership of the Greens but understands why she didn't. He also said he will not know who he is going to support in the leadership contest until all nominations close next week: "One of the national newspapers called Eamon and Catherine 'The Bonnie and Clyde of the Green Party' and, maybe that's why she stood by as deputy leader; to give the new leadership space," Senator Martin told the Joe Finnegan Show, "IF we got a two per cent bounce again we'd not just have won in Dublin and Cork, we would've won other seats like Tate Donnelly's with a two per cent bounce. Hopefully, a new leadership will do that. What I've decided is I'm going to wait until we know exactly who's running, which, is next Monday. I just want to see the runners and riders before I decide."
