Mansergh was the antithesis to social media echo chamber

This week’s column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane

As a result of being in the doldrums in recent days I wasted far too much time scrolling on my phone and watching unbelievable rubbish, lies too. And is it addictive. 

I came across a video on YouTube of words purporting to be from Pope Leo about the death of Charlie Kirk. It just didn’t sound or feel like Pope Leo’s words. I checked the official Vatican website; not a sign of it. Pope Leo never said those words. Why are the social media companies allowed get away with it? 

The algorithms make it possible for the social media companies to feed you the material you want to see. That is beyond dangerous, worse than the old Wild West ever was.

On one clip I saw a man haranguing Micheál Martin on a public street. And because the Taoiseach would not engage with him he took off in a tantrum shouting nonsense.

It was only on reading the newspapers on Friday that I discovered Martin Mansergh had died. I was surprised to hear the news because I had only seen him a few weeks ago.

Regularly travelling by rail on the Cork Dublin service I would see Martin Mansergh reading a book or one of the many newspapers he had beside him. 

Living in Tipperary I presume he boarded the train either at Limerick Junction or Thurles. And it would appear he always travelled standard class. Indeed, the last time I saw him on the train he was asleep. On many occasions I was tempted to stop, say hello to him and compliment him on all the work he had done for the country. But I never did and now I regret it.

He was born in England. His background is Anglo Irish Protestant ascendancy and he traces his ancestry back to Cromwell.

He joined the Irish Civil Service as a young man  and later moved to politics at the behest of Charlie Haughey. He  was a Fianna Fáil TD for a number of years and also served as a minister of state. He played an important role in the confidential talks with Sinn Féin in the 1980s.

He was a highly intelligent man, who was respected and liked across the political divide. And one of the reasons for that was his ability to listen to people of different opinions. He was also a polite and gracious person.

Reading through the condolence book on RIP.ie it’s clear to see that he was a man who was always willing to listen to the opinions of others. He had time for other people and their views. I can see him there sitting in his seat on the train, reading or nodding off. I’m back thinking of the man who was so stupidly proud of haranguing Micheál Martin on the street that he featured it on his Facebook page.

To a casual onlooker like me, Martin Mansergh was the antithesis to everything social media is about. 

People on social media don’t listen to divergent viewpoints; they are too busy promoting their own causes, they are like echo chambers.

Ireland has lost a giant and unfortunately we are stuck with so many nasty peddlers on social media.