Engagement joy for Taoiseach's Cork GAA star son Micheál Aodh and long-term partner

Micheál Aodh Martin is celebrating getting engaged to his long-term girlfriend, Maryclaire Lynch.

It's understood the Cork GAA star, 31, popped the question while the pair were enjoying a recent summer holiday abroad.

The Taoiseach's eldest son, who works a day job at a senior accountancy role at PwC in Cork, is yet to publicly announce the news, but confirmed to EVOKE that the couple are very happily engaged.

Micheál Aodh quietly shared snaps of the romantic Montenegro holiday, taking to his private Instagram page to announce their engagement to his family and closest friends. He captioned a post: "Successful summer holiday" and shared a photo of his beautiful fiancée showing off her stunning diamond ring.

While Micheál Aodh is occasionally in the limelight for his position as goalkeeper for the Cork senior football team and his politician father, the young couple keep their personal lives quiet.

Both Micheál and Maryclaire keep their social media pages private, but it's understood that the pair have been together for a number of years. Micheál met Cork woman Maryclaire while studying at University College Cork, and both still work in the city.

Micheál has previously admitted he has considered following in his father's footsteps by entering politics. But for now, he is happy enough with focusing on intercounty football and his accountancy career.

Aside from being the son of the Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Aodh is a well-known figure in GAA circles. He has been the first-choice goalkeeper for the Cork senior football team for several seasons and has been a constant presence on the panel for nearly ten years.

Last year, he shared his experience of having a father in the public eye, which at times is "strange." He said in a video shared by Fianna Fáil: "To us, it was quite normal. He was a politician since I was a child, and he was gone every Monday to Thursday or Friday. COVID was a big one as an adult. Waiting for the announcements, and it is your dad giving the announcements. That was as intense as it ever got, having him as a politician. That was strange, I suppose.

"But other than that, we find it normal. Like, he's been our dad. I play matches, my brother plays matches, and he goes to the games and that kind of stuff."

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and his wife Mary have had five children, including Micheál Aodh, Aoibhe, and Cillian. Their youngest daughter, Leana, sadly passed away in 2010 due to cardiac illness. Tragically, they also lost a baby boy, Ruairi, in 1999.

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