More than a game: How the country’s leader looked to the GAA during the pandemic

An extract from After the Storm: The GAA, Covid and The Power of The People, by Damian Lawlor

Family affair: An Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD and his wife Mary with their son, Nemo Rangers captain Micheal Aodh Martin, and the cup after the 2020 Cork County Senior Club Football Championship Final match between between Castlehaven and Nemo Rangers at Páirc Ui Chaoimh in Cork. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

In April 2022, Taoiseach Micheál Martin rated as the most popular leader in the country.

A survey for the Irish Times showed that Martin was ahead of Eamon Ryan, Leo Varadkar and Mary Lou McDonald in the popularity polls. His party had seen a steady rise in its approval since its lowest point a year earlier. It had been a tough start for him as Taoiseach, but on a quiet Monday morning in Government Buildings, just weeks after that poll, the leader of the country was totally relaxed and in flying form.