Our Dublin Mum Of The Year - Martina Cleary

“She’s extraordinary,” Martina says of her clinical nurse daughter Janet and from the offset of our conversation, this is exactly how I imagined our Dublin Mum of the Year to be – modest about her own achievements but keen to applaud others’ work.

“Janet told me she wrote in to the magazine and said, ‘What do you think? Woman’s Way rang me,’ and I said, ‘It’s a nice thing, and I’ll go for it.’ I didn’t think of it being the Mum of the Year Awards!”

A ‘country woman’ at heart, originally from Tubbercurry, Sligo, Martina has been in Dublin since she was 16 when she came to work as a nanny

“I was the shyest person, I had no confidence,” she says, “but I think the reason I loved children was because they didn’t judge you, they just took you for what you are.”

She met her husband Michael when she was working for the owners of the Grand Hotel in Malahide, and he was working there. They were married for over 50 years.

“I knew I was meant to meet Michael,” she says. “He died four years ago and I’m on my own but never really, our children are wonderful. He’d be very proud of them.”

Mum to three sons and two daughters, Janet’s nomination centres around the constant and unconditional love that Martina showed to her son Stephen – and all her children.

Stephen – Stevo as he was affectionately known – was in hospital for three months before being allowed home and despite medical difficulties including being diagnosed with severe developmental delay, he was immersed into busy family life.

“It’s only now looking back as I am a mother of three healthy children that I see the sacrifices she made and how hard she had to work to keep us all together as a family and care for this beautiful but very ill little boy,” wrote Janet in her nomination.

“Stephen didn’t ask to be born, it was me who brought him into the world so we were going to take care of him, no matter what, and we did,” says Martina, and it’s clear from chatting with her how much a part of the family her youngest child was.

“Everyone of the children were wonderful, they’re all so caring and we don’t sweat the small stuff as a family. We just got on with things and he was part of the gang and that was it.”

Stephen surpassed his medical team’s expectations and although was unable to talk, Martina, Michael and her children knew everything he wanted or needed. The busyness of the house is evident; with Martina and Michael almost working shifts in and outside the home, caring for everyone.

“We did have fun with Stephen as well even though he never talked, he had gestures. He brought us great joy. We’d lift him up and dance in the kitchen and laugh,” says Martina and this heartwarming image also appears in Janet’s nomination.

“He never stopped us from doing anything,” Martina continues, talking about the family holidays for the seven of them.

“When we were going on holiday, we brought his tubes and syringes, the whole lot and he had fun.”

Janet says that it is her mum who taught her and her siblings the ‘true meaning of family’ and ‘what it really means to be in the moment.’

Stephen lived for 28 years and Janet writes: “As a mother now, understanding how hard a job it is, I truly admire how she did all this and managed to make the rest of us still feel valued and loved.”

Until Michael was diagnosed with cancer, he and Martina enjoyed holidaying, spending precious time together.

“Since then she of course has just amazed me,” writes Janet of her mum since her father passed four years ago.

Martina decided to holiday alone, gaining confidence in her ability to make decisions, embracing the challenge and enjoying visiting locations including Tenerife and Lanzarote.

“I just love, love doing it,” she says and praises mindfulness training as aiding her ability to jet set.

“I can’t wait to get up on a plane but I’ll do it the right way after COVID.”

The grandmother to 11 is a great walker and swimmer, having learned in her 40s for Stephen’s sake. She enjoys (like the WW team), taking the bus into town, having a coffee and watching the world go by.

“I aspire to be even a little bit as wonderful as she is and was as a mother to all of us,” writes Janet.

“I don’t even think for a moment that she thinks of herself in this way. I would love her to feel as special as she deserves and know how invaluable she is to all of us, and mostly to Stevo.”

The WW team and judges have to agree with you, Janet, Martina is a truly remarkable yet modest lady and a worthy Dublin Mum of the Year winner.