Archbishop Eamon Martin was born on 30 October 1961 in Pennyburn, Derry. He is one of twelve children – six boys and six girls – and in 1987 was ordained a priest by the late Bishop Edward Daly for the Diocese of Derry.
Archbishop Martin is Archbishop of Armagh and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Dromore, Primate of All Ireland, President of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference and Chancellor of the Pontifical University, Maynooth. He is also chair of the Council for Communications of the Bishops’ Conference.
He holds a BSc (Hons) in Mathematical Science from NUI Maynooth; BD (Hons) Theology from the Pontifical University, Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth; PGCE from Queen’s University, Belfast; National Professional Qualification for Headship from the Institute of Education, London; and an M Phil Degree of Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge.
As Father Eamon Martin he was appointed to the teaching staff of Saint Columb’s College, Derry, in September 1990 to teach Mathematics and Religion and became Head of Religious Education in the College in September 1997. He was appointed President of Saint Columb’s College in May 2000.
Following his appointment as executive secretary to the Bishops’ Conference in 2008, he was elected as Diocesan Administrator for the Diocese of Derry in 2011. Two years later in 2013, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Martin as Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh.
A former member of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, in October 2018 Archbishop Martin attended the global Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment. In February of this year, Archbishop Martin again represented the Irish Church at the gathering of Bishops’ Conference leaders and Major Superiors of Religious Congregations, which was hosted by Pope Francis in the Vatican, to discuss best practice for the protection of minors throughout the universal Church.
