Martin Cullen - A Career in Politics

Martin Cullen was born in 1954 in Waterford and was educated locally. He became Chief Executive of the Federation of Transport Operators.

He has been involved in national politics for 23 years since his election to the Dáil in 1987 as a member of the Progressive Democrats.

He lost his seat two years later, and was nominated by then Taoiseach Charles Haughey to the Seanad, the same year he was elected to Waterford City Council, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.

He became the third generation of his family to be elected mayor of the council.

He made it back to the Dáil in 1992 as a PD member but left that party two years later and joined Fianna Fáil.

After serving as a Minister of State for five years, his big day came in 2002 when he was made Minister for Environment. Two years later he was made Minister for Transport.

He became Minster for Arts, Sports and Tourism in May of 2008.

In December 2004, then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern commissioned an inquiry into the awarding of contracts to Monica Leech, Mr Cullen's PR advisor, while he was Minister for State at the OPW.

The Quigley Report found contracts were awarded in an appropriate manner.

Mr Cullen's political reputation suffered with his support of the electronic voting system, which was subsequently scrapped.

In his career, he has been involved in the flotation of Aer Lingus, the Transport 21 initiative and the National Spatial Strategy.

He also played a key role in a number of major road projects, including the new bridge and bypass at Waterford city and the soon-to-be-opened Dublin to Waterford motorway.