Catherine Martin, Deputy Leader of the Green Party and TD for Dublin Rathdown, has been announced as the successor to outgoing Minister for Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan TD.
Minister Madigan has held the position for almost three years since her appointment by former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on November 30th, 2017; during a cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of then Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald.
During her tenure, Minister Madigan oversaw the delivery of the €200 million Audiovisual Action Plan, an industry-wide, long-term plan, under the Creative Ireland Programme, developed to support the Government’s ambition to enable “Ireland to become a global hub for the production of Film, TV drama and animation.”
Madigan was also appointed by Varadkar as the coordinator for the Fine Gael Yes Campaign in the referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment, which successfully passed on May 25th, 2018.
Minister Catherine Martin TD will however take on a new amalgamated title of the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sports, and the Gaeltacht.
Making the Cabinet appointments announcement in the Convention Centre on Saturday, the newly elected Fianna Fáil Taoiseach, Micheál Martin said:
“A free, independent, and professional media is vital for our democracy. We have set out our commitment to helping not just our public service media, but our professional media as a whole to be able to have a sustainable future.
“Deputy Catherine Martin will lead our work on this as a matter of urgency. She will also lead the critical work of helping to restart and strengthen key elements of what makes us unique as a nation – our arts, our teanga náisiúnta, our sports, and our tourism.”
Following her confirmation by President Higgins, Minister Catherine Martin took to Twitter, saying:
“Is mór an onóir dom a bheith ceaptha mar Aire Meán Cumarsáide, Turasóireachta, Ealaíon, Cultúir, Spóirt agus Gaeltachta. An honour and a privilege to be appointed Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sports and the Gaeltacht.”
The newly appointed coalition Cabinet of Fianna Fáíl, Fine Gael, and the Green Party is as follows: Micheál Martin, Taoiseach; Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste and Minister for Jobs; Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Finance; Michael McGrath, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform; Simon Coveney, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Norma Foley, Minister for Education; Eamon Ryan, Minister for Climate Change, Transport, Natural Resources; Roderic O’Gorman, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs; Catherine Martin, Minister for Arts, Communications, and Culture; Barry Cowen, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries; Stephen Donnelly, Minister for Health; Simon Harris, Minster for Higher Education and Innovation; Heather Humphreys, Minister for Social Protection and Rural Affairs; Darragh O’Brien, Minister for Housing; Helen McEntee, Minister for Justice; and Dara Calleary, Chief Whip.