Martin Mansergh

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Martin Mansergh (born 31 December 1946) is an Irish politician and historian. He is currently a Teachta Dála (TD) for Tipperary South and Minister of State. He was previously a senator from 2002 to 2007.

He has played a leading role in formulating Fianna Fáil policy on Northern Ireland. Unusually among current prominent Irish nationalists, Mansergh is an Anglican born and raised in England.

Mansergh was born in 1946, the son of the County Tipperary-born historian Nicholas Mansergh. Martin was educated at The King's School, Canterbury and Christ Church, Oxford, where he studied Philosophy and History of art and obtained a Diploma in philosophy but did not complete the History of Art Module. He entered the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs after being appointed as junior secretary by uncle David Mansergh in 1974, and was promoted to the position of First Secretary in 1977. Later recruited by Taoiseach Charles Haughey, he has worked for the Fianna Fáil party ever since, serving under three Fianna Fáil leaders as Director of Research, Policy and Special Advisor on Northern Ireland where he was involved in discussions between the nationalist parties and the Irish Government and met regularly with intermediary Father Alec Reid.

Mansergh was a key member of the teams which formed the Fianna Fáil–Labour Party coalition in 1992 and the Fianna Fáil–Progressive Democrats coalition in 1997. As a senior adviser to successive Taoisigh Mansergh has played a key role in the Northern Ireland peace process over the last twenty years. He ran for Fianna Fáil as a Dáil candidate in the Tipperary South constituency in the 2002 general election but failed to be elected with 5,233 first-preference votes, just under 15% of the poll. However, Mansergh was elected to the 22nd Seanad by the Agricultural Panel in July of that year. In the 2007 general election he again ran for Fianna Fáil as a Dáil candidate in the Tipperary South constituency, this time being elected with 6,110 first-preference votes, just over 15% of the poll. He is also a member of the Irish Council of State.

Until 2006 he wrote a weekly column for The Irish Times, but resigned due to a dispute with the paper over factual inaccuracies. The column is now written by Noel Whelan. In May 2008, he was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Finance with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works as well as Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism with special responsibility for the Arts.

[edit] Further reading

  • The Legacy of History, a collection of Mansergh's speeches and essays, published by Mercier Press.
  • Martin Mansergh – A Biography (2002) by Kevin Rafter.
Oireachtas
Preceded by
Séamus Healy
(Independent)		 Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for
Tipperary South
2007–present		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Noel Ahern		 Minister of State at the Department of Finance
2008–present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Newly created office		 Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism
(with special responsibility for the Arts)
2008–present		 Incumbent