section_path: Early life
section_name: Early life
paragraph_text: Early life
  
  Martin was born 16th of August 1960 in Cork and was raised in the Turners Cross area. Martin was the son of Paddy Martin (1923–2012), a former soldier in the Defence Forces, CIÉ bus driver and Irish international boxer, and Eileen "Lana" Corbett (1929–2010). He was the third child in a family of five. Martin's eldest brother Seán and his twin brother Pádraig subsequently became involved in local politics in Cork. His two younger sisters, Eileen and Máiréad, have remained apolitical. Martin attended Coláiste Chríost Rí before studying arts at University College Cork.
  
  It was during his time at university that Martin became involved in politics. He was a prominent member of the UCC Cumann of Ógra Fianna Fáil, the youth wing of the party, before serving as national chairman of Ógra. After graduating with a BA degree, Martin completed an MA in political history. Subsequently, he completed a higher diploma in education, and began a career as a history teacher in Presentation Brothers College.
  
  In 2009, he published his MA thesis as a book: Freedom to Choose: Cork and Party Politics in Ireland 1918–1932.