Peacemaker, diplomat and parliamentarian is laid to rest in Tipperary Town

Mourners at the funeral of Dr Martin Mansergh in Tipperary Town on Monday morning were told that his optimism, courage, and conviction helped him to deal with the enormous pressure of his influential role in securing peace in Northern Ireland.

The peace advocate, diplomat, parliamentarian, and historian was laid to rest this morning after a funeral service at St Mary’s Church in Tipperary Town.

The service was attended by Comdt Brian Walsh, who represented President Micahel D Higgins, Taoiseach Micheal Martin, and Tanaiste Simon Harris was represented by Fine Gael TD Michael Murphy.

His son, Danny, informed mourners of what family life was like as his father was involved in talks to bring peace in Northern Ireland.

READ MORE: Tributes paid to Dr Martin Manssergh

Danny said the prevailing view at the time was that you did not talk to terrorists. The fact that the Enniskillen bombing happened only months before his father's first meetings with senior figures in the republican movement only hardened that view.

He said his mother Liz, knew the talks for peace were taking place and she acted as a highly discreet sounding board for his father.

The children, he said, all aged between 2 and 17, were not meant to know such talks were taking place, but they did know.
They would take phone calls from people who would not give their names and would only say they were a friend. They would subsequently find out that the friend usually was the benign and saintly figure of Fr Reid, but that their mental image of the time was very much of an IRA man.

He said that Dad knew and they knew that his clandestine contacts with the republican movement, if exposed at any time, could mean his career ending immediately with a lot of finger pointing , blame and outrage.

Danny said that a lesser person would have struggled to cope with such pressure but his father was able to deal with the pressure because of his optimism, courage and conviction.

Dr. Mansergh died in Morocco on Friday 26th September on a trip with former parliamentarians.
He was much loved by his wife Liz, children Fiona, Lucy, Danny, Alice and Harriet and will be sadly missed by his grandchildren, brothers and sister and wider family.

Mr Mansergh was a senior civil servant at the Department of Foreign Affairs and was a senior adviser to several taoisigh.
He was a key figure during the Northern Ireland peace process, before joining Fianna Fail and becoming a senator and TD.
In 2008, he was appointed as a junior minister at the Department of Finance and the Department of Arts.

His negotiations, along with Fr. Alec Reid, with the Republican Movement, held in secret in Belfast, proved to be a cornerstone in securing peace in Northern Ireland. Former President of Sinn Féin, Gerry Adams, said that Martin Mansergh was “a key figure in the efforts to build the peace process with the success of the negotiations leading to the Good Friday Agreement.” Martin was justly awarded the Tipperary International Peace Award in 1995, alongside the Rev. Roy Magee and Fr. Alec Reid, for their efforts in that regard.

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Mr Mansergh had been on a trip to the Sahara with other retired parliamentarians at the time of his death.
His sudden death has shocked family, friends, and political acquaintances. Mr Mansergh had been working on a number of projects, including writing new books, one of which was a family history that he was in the middle of writing.

His daughter Alice told mourners that her father lived his life with bravery, resilience, enthusiasm, and integrity.
Speaking about the unfinished book, she said, “Dad best told the story of his life by living it.”