The Fianna Fáil leader says he wants to be Taoiseach.

Micheal Martin says he has been rebuilding the party since 2011, and has again ruled out any potential coalition with either Fine Gael or Sinn Fein.

Today Mr Martin spoke to the Sunday Show's Shane Coleman. Among other issues, he spoke about the 1916 Rising centenary, the party's performance in the polls, and possible coalitions after the next general elections.

On 1916

"Sinn Féin... will seek to distort the narrative and write history to suit itself now and to justify its campaign in Northern Ireland of murder and mayhem for over 30 years."

"The Rising doesn't belong to any one political party. It belongs to the Irish people."

"When I studied the diaries of public representatives of the time, I was very much struck by their sincere committment to doing things for their city, for their county, for their country. That still needs to be the main motivational force behind anyone who wants to enter into politics."

On what Dev would think of Fianna Fáil today?

"He would have been concerned about what happened in terms of the general election."

"With cohesion, determinations and commitment, we can emerge form the period, and emerge stronger. And that's what he did. He did it over a period of time; he didn't do it over night."

On the party's performance in the polls

"I heard the same thing before the local elections. Similar commentary being made. Similar speculation around the polls... so let's have a lot of caution about the poll."

On what Fianna Fáil stands for today

"[The party] wants greater equality of opportunity for people and fairness for people in terms of how the spoils of the economy are divided."

"We're a party of working people that want to ensure that education a health services... are brought to the forefront and prioritised in national policy."

"[We're] left-of-centre. We've always been that as a party. To a degree we did [move away from this stance], and that was a mistake."

"We've always had a strong developmental agenda, and that relates to encouraging enterprise."

On Fianna Faáil's role in the recovery

"I think people do realise that fundamental pillars were put in place by Brian Cowen and Brinan Lenihan in terms of correcting the deficit."

"On the eve of an election, €6bn was cut from a budget. Now you don't do that for electoral advantage, but that government deserves credit for doing it. Enda Kenny and Eamonn Gilmore recklessly voted against every single measure of the previous two to three years, knowing full well there had to be a correction of the deficit."

On the by-election in Carlow Kilkenny

"We've been using by-elections to get our message across, to get new candidates across in some instances and also building a platform on the ground."

On refusing to form a coalition with Fine Gael or Sinn Féin 

"We're very clear on the position we've laid down.

"Sinn Fein's behaviour of recent times in terms of the abuse scandals doesn't make them fit for office in any shape or form. They won't admit there were internal courts. They wont give the information of those who participate... There's a duty on people in those circumstance to report that kind of information to police authorities."

On the possibility of becoming Taoiseach

"I want to be Taoiseach. I'm working to be Taoiseach, [but] no one can predict who will be Taoiseach after the next election."