Social media in politics, digital economy, social business report

Social Business
Social Media in Politics
By Niall Devitt

Social Media in Politics www.ahaingroup.com
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Table of Contents
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
Current situation ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….. 4
World Leaders on Twitter …………………………………………………………………………………………………….… 8
Ireland ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………. 10
The Other Impact of Social Media …………………………………………………………………………….…………… 21
Social Media and Political Engagement …………………………………………………………………………………. 24
Analysing Social Media for Government ……………………………………………………………………………….. 26
Rebuilding Economies with Social Media ………………………………………………………………………………. 29
Political Revolutions and Social Media ………………………………………………………………………………….. 28
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………. 31
Appendix A - Irish Politicians Social Media Presence ………………………………………………….…….. 34
Appendix B - Irish Government Departments Social Media Presence .…………..………….…….. 45

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Introduction
The impact of Social Media on politics and on democratic participation continues to divide opinion.
During 2011, videos, images and information captured by ordinary people and shared around the world on
Social Media platforms including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter played a significant part in the revolutions
that swept the Middle East.
U.S. President, Barrack Obama, has utilised Social Media effectively to engage voters during his initial 2008
presidential campaign and again during his re-election in 2012.
However other politicians, such as former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Brian Cowen, have experienced
the negative consequences of Social Media, e.g. when his performance during a radio interview in 2010 went
viral on Twitter and subsequently became an international bad-news story.
In this Paper we look at how Social Media is impacting politicians and political engagement, both here in
Ireland and internationally.
It includes -
 The tactics used by President Obama and other world leaders and governments to engage with their
peoples on Social Media
 A detailed analysis on use of Social Media by Irish political parties, politicians, state departments and
bodies
 Examples and case studies of the positive and negative consequences of democratic participation on
Social Media
Figures given were derived from research and were updated over the past few weeks.

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Current Situation
Barrack Obama
Did use of Social Media make a difference to the outcome of the recent US presidential election?
After receiving confirmation of victory, Obama’s Social Media strategist, Laura Olin, uploaded a photo titled
“Four More Years,” This iconic photograph of President Obama hugging his wife Michelle has since become
the symbol of the president’s re-election win.
Olin advises “we knew that people getting campaign messages from their friends, was so much more powerful
than them getting campaign messages directly from us.”
During the election, Obama spent 10 times more on Social Media as his challenger, Mitt Romney.
 Obama spent $ 47.0 million
 Romney spent $ 4.7 million
On election night
Barrack Obama had:
32,000,000
fans
21,000,000
followers
259,685 views
Mitt Romney had:
12,000,000
fans
1,700,000
followers
29,172 views
60% of voters between the ages of 18-29 voted for Obama and many of these voters got their political news
and information from Social Media.

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The Obama team clearly understood the importance of Social Media and did the better job of using it to his
advantage. In a close race where everything matters, it is reasonable to assume that Obama’s more effective
Social Media strategy was a very significant factor in his successful re-election.
Barack Obama's usage of Social Media in his political campaigns has been widely publicised [1]
1
.
In the 2008 presidential campaign Barack Obama had more fans on Facebook and more followers on Twitter
than his then rival, John McCain.
Obama's website, barackobama.com, is run by one of the three co-founders of Facebook, Chris Hughes, and it
has been described as a "social network”. Members can create blogs, post photos and form groups. According
to Hughes, during the 2008 campaign:
 Over two million accounts were created
 200,000 events were organised
 400,000 blogs were written
 400,000 videos were posted
 35,000 volunteer groups were created
 $30 million was spent by 70,000 people into their own fundraising webpages
 In the final four days of the 2008 campaign, three million phone calls were made through the
website's internet virtual phone
The use of Social Media is reviewed on the following pages.
1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama_on_social_media

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Facebook
In 2007, the Obama team used Facebook connect technology to create an interconnection between a user's
account in Obama's official website and the user’s own Facebook account.
 In 2008, the Obama presidential campaign spent $643,000 out of the $16 million Internet budget, to
promote his Facebook account.
 On June 17, 2008, after Hillary Clinton ended her campaign, the number of followers of Barack Obama's
Facebook account increased to one million.
 In addition to the Facebook accounts of Barack and Michelle Obama and Joe Biden, the Obama team
created ten more Facebook accounts for "specific demographics, such as Veterans for Obama, Women for
Obama, and African Americans for Obama.”
Twitter
Barack Obama's Twitter account (@BarackObama) is his official Twitter account.
 It is among the top ten worldwide in both followers and followed and is used for his election efforts
 Obama also uses the White House's Twitter account (@WhiteHouse) for his presidential activities

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 Although his staff carries out most of his tweeting, Obama became personally active on the account in
June 2011, beginning with the Father's Day message "Being a father is sometimes my hardest but always
my most rewarding job”
 Since then, Obama has held public forums in which he fielded questions posted on Twitter
On July 6, 2011, he participated in "Twitter Presents Townhall @ the White House" which was held in the East
Room of the White House and streamed online. The event received over 110,000 #AskObama-hash-tagged
tweets and was moderated by Twitter executive, Jack Dorsey.
Reddit
On August 29, 2012, Obama got 3.8 million page views after making a surprise half-hour visit to the social
news website Reddit.
 Users left 22,000 comments and questions for the President, 10 of which he answered
 When asked why Obama logged on to Reddit, one official responded "Because a whole bunch of our
turnout targets were on Reddit"
 Obama’s team hoped to reach a largely unaddressed demographic of previously unlikely voters on social
internet boards

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World Leaders on Twitter
President Obama is not the only leader to embrace Social Media. According to a survey
2
from the Digital
Policy Council, 75% of the world’s heads of state have a Twitter presence.
 A total of 123 world leaders out of 164 countries had accounts on Twitter set up in their personal name or
through an official government office
 In 2011, only 69 out of 164 countries had embraced Twitter. The new figures represent a 78% increase in
the number of Heads of State and national governments on Twitter from 2011.
A table showing the Top 10 Heads of State on Twitter, is given overleaf.
2
http://www.digitaldaya.com/admin/modulos/galeria/pdfs/69/156_biqz7730.pdf

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Top 10 Heads of State on Twitter
Photo
Click to go
to Twitter
Country Description
Barrack
Obama
His 2012 re-election campaign broke several Twitter
records. Following news that he had been declared the
winner, Obama’s account sent out the tweet: “Four
more years” along with a photo of himself and the First
Lady, which became the most re-tweeted tweet of all
time. Throughout the day, more than 31 million election-
related tweets were sent out, creating the most
tweeted-about event in U.S. political history.
25,742,410
Hugo Chávez
Grew his Twitter account by two million followers during
2012. When he found himself fighting an election
campaign from his sick bed in Cuba, Twitter became his
main tool for communicating with the electorate.
3,889,149
Abullah Gül
Increased his following by over 2 million people.
Following his visit in 2012 to Silicon Valley he tweeted,
“This is the first time a Turkish president travels to this
region of the U.S. Here is where technology that changes
our lives is born”
2,673, 152
Queen Rania Grew her account by over one million followers in 2012. 2,523,262
Dmitry
Medvedev
A fresh entry into the top ten in 2012, Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev chooses to tweet in his native
language and in English, with separate accounts for
each.
1,883,087
489,749
Dilma
Rouseff
Remained at spot #6 in 2012. 1,766,742
Cristina
Fernández
de Kirchner
The 7
th
most followed leader in 2012. 1,520,540
Juan Manuel
Santas
New to the Top 10 and has grown his followers over 1
million since 2011.
1,515,324
Enrique
Peña Nieto
Remaining in the top ten in 2012 even though the
country elected a brand new leader.
1,453,343
Sheikh
Mohammed
Ranked 10
th
of the world leaders using Twitte.r 1,410,422

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Ireland
Embracing Social Media
In late 2010, the Irish Government launched an information service and social networking-led internet
platform called MerrionStreet.ie. The idea was to transform Government communications from website and
press release format to a more dynamic web presence that would include:
 Photos
 Videos
 Facebook status updates
 Twitter feeds
 Web chat
At the time, the team behind the new MerrionStreet.ie presence told Ireland’s technology news portal,
Siliconrepublic
3
that they had seen what other nations, like the UK and France, had done in terms of
embracing free Social Media tools and cited Number10.gov.uk as a particular inspiration.
“Control of cost was a prerequisite and we were keen to use available tools like WordPress and Flickr. We
were also comfortable with the use of open source, in the project. We looked at what the White House had
done, what Sarkozy’s people had done and what Downing Street had done and decided to emulate these
approaches.”
But have Irish politicians and government generally embraced Social Media in a meaningful way? We carried
out a detailed analysis to attempt to find out.
3
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/new-media/item/16917-irelands-government-reveal

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Facebook
The November 2012 Ipsos MRBI survey of Social Network usage found that that 56% of the Irish population
over the age of 15, now has a Facebook account.
Irish Political Parties on Facebook
It is perhaps surprising that Sinn Féin top the list with just over 12,500 fans. Next are the two parties in
government, Labour and Fine Gael. The more recently formed United Left Alliance is next; we could not find a
Facebook page for the Irish Socialist Party.
Click on Political Party to go to Facebook page
12,698
7551
7,124
4,338
2,055
Irish people on Facebook
Have a Facebook
account
Don't have a Facebook
account
Share of Facebook likes - political parties
Sinn Fein
Labour
Fine Gael
Fianna Fail
United Left Alliance

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The Top 10 Irish Politicians on Facebook
The top 10 politicians on Facebook includes two from Sinn Féin, three from Fine Gael, two Fianna Fáil, two
Independents and one from the United Left Alliance party.
Photo
Click to go
to Twitter
Party Constituency Positions
Luke
Flanagan
Roscommon-
South Leitrim
Member, Committee on Environment,
Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht
Member, Committee on the Implementation
of Good Friday Agreement
11633
Mary Lou
McDonald
Dublin Central
Member, Public Accounts Committee
Member, Committee on Finance, Public
Expenditure and Reform
10560
Enda
Kenny
Mayo Taoiseach, Department of An Taoiseach 7140
Pat Breen Clare
Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs and
Trade
5,031
Dessie Ellis
Dublin North
West
Member, Joint Administration Committee
5472
Niall
Collins
Limerick
5,248
Michael
Lowry
Tipperary
North
5145 friends
Willie
O'Dea
Limerick City
Member, Committee on Jobs, Social
Protection and Education
5127 friends
Richard
Boyd
Barrett
Dún Laoghaire
5,101
friends
Joe Carey Clare
Member, Committee on Procedure and
Privileges
5,069
Irish politicians of Facebook
Have a Facebook
account
account

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Top 10 Departments, Semi States & Quangos on Facebook
Click on logo to go
to Facebook
What are they responsible for?
Organise and administer a blood transfusion service including the processing
or supply of blood derivatives or other blood products, and also including
blood group and other tests in relation to specimens of blood received by the
Board.
42,340
The RSA mission is simple: to make roads safer for everyone. The current
national Road Safety Strategy aims to reduce collisions, deaths and injuries by
30%.
27,860
The Defence Forces Information Office is responsible for providing accurate
and timely information to members of the general public as well as serving and
past members of the Defence Forces.
26,594
Ireland Irish language TV channel 15,508
The Museum’s mission is to foster within society an awareness, understanding
and involvement in the visual arts through policies and programmes which are
excellent, innovative and inclusive.
11,500
The National Concert Hall, based in Dublin’s city centre, is rated by performing
artists as one of the finest concert halls in Europe and boasts a thrilling line-up
of some of the world’s greatest performers both nationally and internationally.
10,823
Act as a link between Irish food, drink and horticulture suppliers and existing
and potential customers throughout the world. Their objective is to develop
markets for Irish suppliers and to bring the taste of Irish food to more tables
world-wide.
9,988
Shannon Development is a government owned regional development
company dedicated to promoting and developing the Shannon Region of
Ireland.
8,776
A confident and ambitious Western Region where excellence, innovation and
creativity are rewarded. 7,089
The mission of the Library is to collect, preserve, promote and make accessible
the documentary and intellectual record of the life of Ireland and to contribute
to the provision of access to the larger universe of recorded knowledge.
6,473
Irish departments, semi states and quangos on
Facebook
Have a Facebook
account
account

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Twitter
The number of Irish people with a Twitter account has surged significantly with more than 1 in 5 people now
reporting to have an account with the site - Nov 2012 Ipsos MRBI survey of Social Network
4
.
Irish Political Parties on Twitter
Sinn Féin is also the most followed Irish political party on Twitter with Labour and then Fianna Fáil coming
next. Ireland’s largest and main party in Government, Fine Gael, would perhaps be disappointed to only
appear at number four. The Socialist party and the United Left Alliance, are fifth and sixth respectively.
Click on Political Party to go to Twitter
13,330
10,389
9,397
7,860
1,843
1,261
4
http://www.ipsosmrbi.com/social-networking-quarterly-survey-november-2012.html
Irish people on Twitter
Have a Twitter
account
Don't have a
Twitter account

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Irish Politicians on Twitter
There are 165 politicians, 129 of which have Twitter accounts.
The Top 10 list on Twitter includes four Independents, three Fine Gael, one Sinn Féin politician and one each
from the Labour and the Socialist parties. The listing of these Top Ten is given overleaf.
Share of Twitter followers - political parties
Sinn Fein
Labour
Fine Gael
Fianna Fail
Socialist Party
Irish politicians on Twitter
Have a Twitter
account
Don't have a Twitter
account
Irish politicians on Twitter - activity
Have tweeted
recently
Inactive

Page | 16
The Top 10 Irish Politicians on Twitter
Photo
Click to go
to Twitter
Shane Ross Dublin South Member, Public Accounts Committee 16363
Enda Kenny Mayo Taoiseach, Department of An Taoiseach 13868
Joe Higgins Dublin West
13,865
Luke
Flanagan
Roscommon-
South Leitrim
Member, Committee on Environment, Transport,
Culture and the Gaeltacht
Member, Committee on the Implementation of the
Good Friday Agreement
11067
Joan Burton Dublin West Minister, Department of Social Protection 9,136
Simon
Coveney
Cork South
Central
Minister, Department of Agriculture, the Marine
and Food
9,048
Pearse
Doherty
Donegal South
West
8508
Lucinda
Creighton
Dublin South
East
8,312
Stephen
Donnelly
Wicklow
7608
Mick
Wallace
Wexford
Member, Committee on Investigations, Oversight
and Petitions
Member, Committee on European Union Affairs
7260

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The Top 10 Government Bodies on Twitter
Click on logo to
go to Twitter
Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) is the national development
agency for the Irish film industry investing in talent, creativity and enterprise. The
agency supports and promotes the Irish film industry and the use of Ireland as a
location for international production.
24,653
Ireland’s inward investment promotion agency, IDA Ireland (Industrial Development
Agency) is responsible for the attraction and development of foreign investment in
Ireland.
11,369
Act as a link between Irish food, drink and horticulture suppliers and existing and
potential customers throughout the world. Their objective is to develop markets for
Irish suppliers and to bring the taste of Irish food to more tables world-wide.
10,588
Fáilte Ireland is the National Tourism Development Authority. Our role is to support
the tourism industry and work to sustain Ireland as a high-quality and competitive
tourism destination.
10,069
The Oireachtas (National Parliament) consists of the President and two Houses: Dáil
Éireann (the House of Representatives) and Seanad Éireann (the Senate)
8,861
Ireland’s premier cultural institution and home to the greatest collections of Irish
material heritage, culture and natural history in the world.
8,300
The National Concert Hall, based in Dublin’s city centre, is rated by performing artists
as one of the finest concert halls in Europe and boasts a thrilling line-up of some of
the world’s greatest performers both nationally and internationally.
7,539
Government departments, semi-states and
quangos on Twitter
Have a Twitter
account
Don' have a Twitter
account

Page | 18
The National Gallery holds the National Collection of European and Irish fine art. 7,494
Enterprise Ireland is the government organisation responsible for the development
and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets.
7,240
The Museum’s mission is to foster within society an awareness, understanding and
involvement in the visual arts through policies and programmes which are excellent,
innovative and inclusive.
6,507
YouTube
YouTube remains the second biggest search engine in the world and is extremely popular in Ireland with reports
suggesting anything up to 1,500,000 regular Irish users.
Irish Political Parties on YouTube
Again, Sinn Féin comes out on top with Labour second. Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and United Left Alliance are fourth,
fifth and sixth respectively; we could not find a YouTube channel for the Socialist party.
Click on Political Party to go to YouTube
2,161
subscribers
1,047,390
561 subscribers
508,689
347 subscribers
261,178
340 subscribers
219,975
50 subscribers
9,825
Irish people using YouTube
Using Youtube
regularly
Not using Youtube

Page | 19
Top 10 Irish Politicians on YouTube
The top 10 Irish politicians on YouTube includes four from Fine Gael, one each from Labour and the Socialist
party, two Independents and two from United Left Alliance.
Photo
Click to go
to Youtube
Joe
Higgins
Dublin West
313 subscribers
137,763 views
Stephen
Donnelly
Wicklow
13 subscribers
64,490 views
Richard
Boyd
Barrett
Dún Laoghaire
96 Subscribers
28,228 Views
Eric Byrne
Dublin South
Central
Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs and
Trade
12 subscribers
6994 views
Mick
Wallace
Wexford
Member, Committee on Investigations,
Oversight and Petitions
Member, Committee on EU Affairs
10 Subscribers
6486 views
Simon
Coveney
Cork South
Central
Minister, Department of Agriculture, the
Marine and Food
6 subscribers
4,774 views
Share of YouTube views - polictical parties
Sinn Fein
Labour
Fine Gael
Fianna Fail
Irish politicians on YouTube
Have a YouTube
channel
Don't Have a
YouTube channel

Page | 20
Ciarán
Cannon
Galway East
5 Subscriptions
3,259 Views
Michelle
Mulherin
Mayo
Member, Committee on Investigations,
Oversight and Petitions
4 subscribers
3248 views
Clare Daly Dublin North
14 subscribers
2693 views
Mary
Mitchell
O'Connor
Dún Laoghaire
Member, Committee on Jobs, Social
Protection and Education
1 subscriber
2238 views
The Top 10 Government Departments, Semi-States and Quangos on YouTube
Click on logo to go
to YouTube
RTE is the national TV and Radio broadcaster.
46,637 subscribers
59,680,291 views
The Defence Forces Information Office is responsible for providing accurate and
timely information to members of the general public as well as serving and past
members of the Defence Forces.
1,843 subscribers
1,292,978 views
Ireland’s Irish language TV channel.
392 subscribers
392,636 views
The Irish Greyhound Board - Bord na gCon - is a commercial semi-state body
which is responsible for the control and development of the greyhound industry
in the Republic of Ireland.
204 subscribers
258,635 views
The role of Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, is to act as a link between Irish food,
drink and horticulture suppliers and existing and potential customers throughout
the world. Their objective is to develop markets for Irish suppliers and to bring
the taste of Irish food to more tables world-wide.
189 subscribers
127,512 views
Government departments, semi-states
and Quangos using YouTube
Have a Youtube
account
Don't have a
YouTube account

Page | 21
Assessing, collecting and managing taxes and duties that account for over 93% of
Exchequer Revenue.
47 subscribers
116,779 views
The Health and Safety Authority is the national statutory body with responsibility
for enforcing occupational safety and health law, promoting and encouraging
accident prevention, and providing information and advice to all companies,
organisations and individuals.
179 subscribers
110,474 views
The Environmental Protection Agency is at the front line of environmental
protection and policing.
134 subscribers
83,644 views
Enterprise Ireland is the government organisation responsible for the
development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets.
266 subscribers
79,797 views
The RSA mission is simple: to make roads safer for everyone. The current national
Road Safety Strategy aims to reduce collisions, deaths and injuries by 30%.
70 subscribers
74,900 views
The other Impact of Social Media - Some Examples
Shane McEntee
On the 21
st
of December 2012, Irish Minister for State and 56-year-old father of three, Shane McEntee,
tragically took his own life. It was later reported in the Irish media, including The Sunday Independent
5
that the Fine Gael TD had been deeply affected by cyber bullying and online abuse.
A former Fine Gael TD in Meath, John Farrelly, now a councillor from Kells, told The Independent that Mr
McEntee was "desperately upset" by a barrage of online abuse that followed comments the late minister had
made in relation to cuts to the Respite Care grant.
Fine Gael TD in Roscommon, Frank Feighan, said: "I feel that there is a frenzy out there and I feel a lot of it is
generated through Social Media." He added: "I think it is something that we all have to contend with. It is an
issue that must stop. I don't mind people having reasoned debate, but this seems to be frenzied, continued
and is causing huge concern not just for politicians, but their families."
This tragedy has naturally resulted in many Irish politicians now calling for stricter sanctions to be brought
against those who use Social Media in an anonymous and/or abusive fashion. However, is increased regulation
the best way to deal with these issues?
Brian Cowen incident Goes Viral On Twitter
Even before the untimely death of Shane McEntee, the experience of Social Media had not been a good one
for many Irish politicians. At 8:50am on Tuesday 14
th
September 2010, the Taoiseach of the day - Brian Cowen
- was interviewed by Cathal Mac Coille on RTE radio programme Morning Ireland.
5
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fallout-from-budget-and-cyber-abuse-troubled-late-minister-3334469.html

Page | 22
During the interview, many people on Twitter, including Fine Gael’s Simon Coveney, questioned the
Taoiseach’s state of mind at the time. Later this interview, and Brian Cowen’s performance during it,
was to became an international news story. Stephen O’Leary of O’Leary Analytics analysed the
fallout and measured the resulting international media interest, just 15 hours after the interview:
 Simon Coveney’s initial tweet was re-tweeted (republished word for word) by over 66 other
Twitter accounts
 1,738 mentions of Mr Cowen in Social Media sources on the day
 Twitter was the most popular Social Media platform with over 1,600 tweets published
 457 articles were published by midnight on 14th
September, less than 24 hours after the
interview
 The coverage appeared in leading international publications including: Reuters; The Wall Street
Journal; The New York Times; The Washington Post; Fox News; The Guardian; The BBC; The
Huffington Post; Yahoo! Finance
Stephen’s advice “The lesson here for all political parties is that digital media is equally critical to
their success or failure as traditional print and broadcast channels. We live in an era of 24/7 news
reporting, where a story can break at any given time during the day and can spread like wildfire due
to the Internet. Companies, organizations, individuals, even governments are increasingly concerned
about what is being said about them in real time. As a result they have to respond quickly because a
story can evolve rapidly” 6
Tweet Causes Dragon to Lose Out in TV Presidential Debate
6
http://olearyanalytics.com/728/the-brian-cowen-interview-the-global-media-response

Page | 23
In 2011, Former Dragons' Den investor and Irish entrepreneur, Seán Gallagher was hot favourite to
win the Irish presidential election, until a tweet, read out during a live debate RTE television
programme The Frontline, destroyed his chances of becoming president.
[Pic Ref]: http://www.sligotoday.ie
During the debate, Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness said he was contacted by an unnamed man who claimed
that Gallagher had invited him to a €5,000-a-head fundraising dinner on behalf of Fianna Fáil in 2008
7
.
 A tweet was then sent out from @mcguinness4pres that claimed "The man that Gallagher took the
cheque from will be at a press conference tomorrow"
 This tweet was later discovered to be bogus and had come from an unofficial account supporting Martin
McGuinness
 However, it still managed to find its way past the producers of the programme, and was mentioned on air
by presenter Pat Kenny, "Sinn Féin say they are going to produce the man who gave you the cheque for
five grand"
 Many political analysts believe that Seán Gallagher's reaction on air to that tweet cost him voters and
ultimately, the presidency
 An independent report into the programme has since found that that the production team made
mistakes during the debate, including not identifying that the @mcguinness4pres account was a fake.
Internet 'cowards' force Senator to quit Social Media sites
A vicious intimidation campaign against Labour senator Jimmy Harte has forced him to quit Social Media sites.
The final straw came when someone put his home address and personal information online.
8
7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUhFdi7iRL0
8
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/internet-cowards-force-senator-to-quit-social-media-sites-3350761.html

Page | 24
"I've had enough," he said. "I think Social Media have so many advantages if used for the good, but I just see
more and more negative uses and that's why I've decided to close down my accounts."
Mr Harte branded those behind the threats as "cyber-cowards".
Mr Harte said he had spoken to other politicians who (he said) were also considering quitting their online
presence. "This is a serious issue and I think the area of anonymity when posting has to be looked at." he said.
"It's too easy to open an account, carry out this abuse and then move on."
Mr Harte said he was setting up a new website for use as his online presence.

Page | 25
Social Media and Political Engagement
The collective negative experiences of Irish politicians may have resulted in a fear of Social Media, with many
continuing not to engage.
Is this a sustainable position for them to continue to hold?
A recent survey
9
by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project has discovered how Social
Media is now becoming a feature of political and civic engagement for many Americans.
From a survey of 2,253 adults, they discovered that:
 66% of Social Media users (39% of all American adults) have employed the platforms to post their
thoughts about civic and political issues, react to others’ postings, press friends to act on issues and vote,
follow candidates, ‘like’ and link to others’ content, and belong to groups formed on social networking
sites.
 38% of those who use Social Networking Sites (SNS) or Twitter use those sites to “like” or promote
material related to politics or social issues that others have posted. Liberal Democrats who use Social
Media are particularly likely to use the ‘like’ button—52% of them have done so and 42% of conservative
Republicans have also done so.
 35% of Social Media users have used the tools to encourage people to vote. Democrats who are Social
Media users are more likely to have used Social Media to encourage voting—42% have done that
compared with 36% of Republican Social Media users and 31% of Independents.
9
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Political-Engagement.aspx

Page | 26
 34% of Social Media users have used the tools to post their own thoughts or comments on political and
social issues. Liberal Democrats who use Social Media (42%) and conservative Republicans (41%) are
especially likely to use Social Media this way.
 33% of Social Media users have used the tools to re-post content related to political or social issues
originally posted by someone else. Republican Social Media users are more likely to do this on Social
Media—39% have used Social Media to repost content, compared with 34% of Democrats and 31% of
Independents.
 31% of Social Media users have used the tools to encourage other people to take action on a political or
social issue that is important to them. Some 36% of Social Media-using Democrats have done this as have
34% of Republicans; this compares to 29% of Independents.
 28% of Social Media users have used the tools to post links to political stories or articles for others to
read. Liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans are the most likely to have used Social Media this
way (39% and 34% respectively).
 21% of those who use a Social Networking Site or Twitter belong to a group on the SNS that is involved in
political or social issues, or that is working to advance a cause. There are no major differences by ideology
or partisanship when it comes to using Social Media this way.
 20% of Social Media users have used the tools to follow elected officials and candidates for office. Some
32% of the conservative Republicans follow officials on Social Media and 27% of liberal Democrats do so.

Page | 27
Analysing Social Media for Governments
While many countries, cities and government departments now interact with people through Social Media,
few currently use it to collect information and only a tiny number are using Social in an analytical way.
Washington D.C. is one such example
10
. Local government in the US capital is now gathering and using real-
time comments made on Twitter, Facebook and online message boards as well as the government's own
website, to grade and motivate the bureaucracies that handle tasks like administrating drivers’ licences,
building permits etc.
 Grade.DC.Gov “is a pilot program that enables one to submit comments about certain District agencies
and to view how District residents graded those agencies. The goal is to help better engagement with
government and help government agencies to improve the quality of their services.”
 Grades for 10 agencies — including the police and fire departments and the Department of Motor
Vehicles — are available.
“Agencies can see, in one place, the comments gathered by newBrandAnalytics and respond to them through
an online dashboard interface created by the company. That has encouraged officials to interact directly with
the public on Social Networking sites instead of simply issuing news releases.” said Pedro Ribeiro, a spokesman
for Mayor Vincent Gray.
Mr Ribeiro said the system motivates employees with praise as well as complaints. "Before the system
launched, there was a lot of trepidation—folks were worried that all we're going to do is get smacked down,"
he said. "It turned out people were saying nice things, just no one ever noticed it."
10
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424127887324712504578133530033916570-
lMyQjAxMTAyMDIwODEyNDgyWj.html

Page | 28
Rebuilding Economies with Social Media
Iceland continues to experience an economic resurgence since its meltdown in 2008. It opted not to bail out
those businesses that were partly responsible for the crisis and since then, its progressiveness in embracing
modern technology is astounding.
In 2011, Iceland’s Constitutional Council, crowd-sourced their new constitution, turning to Social Media to
help make the process transparent and to collect input from the public
11
. The group, which is made up of
ordinary residents, compiled the document online with the help of hundreds of others.
 The constitution council posted the first draft in April on its website and then let citizens comment via
a Facebook Page.
 The council members were also active on Twitter, and posted videos of themselves on YouTube and put
pictures on Flickr.
"In the aftermath of the financial crisis, we realized that this wasn't just an economic or a financial crisis; it was
also a social, political and judicial crisis." says President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. "If we were going
to allow the nation to regain its strength and position, it wouldn't be sufficient to deal with it in traditional
economic and financial ways. We needed a different democratic approach."
11
http://mashable.com/2012/03/15/iceland-technology

Page | 29
Political Revolutions and Social Media
In 2011, revolutions swept the Middle East, from Tunisia, to Egypt, to Syria and beyond. Videos, images and
information captured by civilians and shared on Social Media was viewed and read by people around the
world
12
. There can be no doubt that information and communication technologies, in particular Social Media,
played a part in these upheavals.
But questions continue to dog political theorists and social scientists – just how much of a role did the
different media play?
[Pic ref]: http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/5/8/the-real-net-effect-arab-revolutions-and-social-media-harb.html
“While techno-utopians overstate the affordances of new technologies (what these technologies can give us)
and understate the material conditions of their use (e.g., how factors such as gender or economics can affect
access), techno-dystopians do the reverse, misinterpreting a lack of results as the impotence of technology and
also forgetting how shifts within the realm of mediated political communication can be incremental rather
than a seismic in nature.” (Christensen).
The Middle East and North Africa
The Middle East and North Africa region has one of the most youthful populations in the world, with people
under 25 making up between 35-45% of the population in each country.
 They make up the majority of Social Media users, including about 17 million Facebook users, 25,000
Twitter accounts and 40,000 active blogs, according to the Arab Advisors Group.
 YouTube is extremely popular, with an average of 24 hours of video uploaded from the region every
minute (“MIDDLE EAST”).
12
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/social_media/review.pdf

Page | 30
 The Dubai School of Government has issued a report indicating that the total number of Facebook users
in the Arab world increased by 78% during 2010, from 11.9 million in January 2010 to 21.3 million in
December 2010 (“Social Media a Catalyst”)
Even China is now getting in on the Act
The rise of Social Media in China has been anything but smooth and tolerant. Both Facebook and Twitter were
gaining a foothold when they were blocked in 200 and this blockage continues to this day, reflecting a clear
unease at letting average Chinese interact on sites that are based outside China and don't have to play by the
country's strict self-censorship rules
13
.
An estimated 1 billion Chinese are Social Media users and China has several networks which exceed 100
million active users
14
.
 QQ, one of China’s oldest Social networks — born in the 90’s as a clone of ICQ and now the primary entry
point for Qzone, a Facebook-style Social network — was designed to work on any phone in China, even
cheap models with 2G plans. Consequently, it’s difficult to find anyone in China without a QQ account. In
July 2012, the company reported 700 million monthly active users on QQ, and 500 million monthly active
users on Qzone.
 Most Chinese Social Media activity happens on mobile, QQ is mainly accessed by phone, as is the second
leading network, Twitter-like Sina Weibo, with some 400 million users and 60%+ mobile usage.
13
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/09/world/asia/china-social-networking-young/index.html
14
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/10/25/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-chinese-social-media

Page | 31
Early signs are strong that Beijing will encourage or at least tolerate the growth of micro-blogging sites
like Sina Weibo, and instant messaging services like Tencent WeChat, which have been allowed to develop
relatively unfettered despite their potential to become breeding grounds for critical public debate over social
issues.
Beijing is quickly realizing these fast-developing Social Media can be an important way to get public feedback
on social issues as China goes through a wide range of growing pains in its transformation from a planned to a
more market-oriented economy. Beijing also understands that social media can be an important tool for
getting out the Communist Party's own message as it tries to show an increasingly restless public it is hearing
their concerns.
According to The 2012 Sina Government Weibo Report (2012年新浪政务微博报告)
15
, released by the People
Online Public Monitoring Office (人民网舆情监测室) analysed data from accounts by ministries, public
security organs, traffic police and regulation agencies, Communist Youth League offices and individual civil
servants.
This report highlights the rise of grassroots government micro-blogging with the number of government
accounts on Weibo has now skyrocketed to 60,064 over 20 government ministries. For example –
 the Weibo account, @王于京, (now approaching a million followers) of a police officer in Zhejiang
province who uses it to provide useful information to local people
 Weibo was used by government agencies to deal with emergency situations; during the Beijing floods
that occurred in July 2012, a number of government accounts in Beijing such as @北京发布, @北京
消防 and @平安北京 posted the latest information such as dangerous areas in the city, traffic
updates and weather forecasts
15
http://www.danwei.com/the-chinese-government-and-social-media

Page | 32
Conclusion
While debate continues on how governments, leaders and politicians might best engage with citizens on Social
Media sites, research indicates that Social Media will play a role of increasing importance.
This may make some politicians uncomfortable - or even fearful – and, of course, Social Media is not without
risks and potentially negative consequences. Regulation will undoubtedly have a role to play, but developing a
strategy around the education, understanding and participation would appear to be a more sensible place to
start.
Most politicians see value in leveraging Social Media during their election campaigns, but appear less inclined
to participate after they are elected. Politicians that continue to engage are also those that speak about these
tools in a positive, rather than a negative light.
There does not appear to be a Party line when it comes to Social Media nor, our research indicates, is there a
strategy for all the members of particular political parties. This is perhaps the most surprising finding because
lack of an over-arching strategy has consistently been highlighted and proven to be the most significant risk
factor in getting into trouble and in failing to get value on Social Media.
Social Media are now both massively popular and used by an increasing proportion of people. They have
become part of how we communicate, get information and form opinion. They reflect both what is good and
what is bad about our societies. They are not going away!
As those chosen by their people to govern, our leaders and politicians have a duty to participate. Our political
parties and their leadership must prepare and educate their members so that they are up to this task.
The opportunity for politicians is not merely in getting elected or re-elected but in how they choose to listen
to the people and ultimately, in how they govern, in real-time! It is not about the broadcasting of what they
intend to do or what they are going to do but rather, it is about how they actively allow people to participate
in their leadership and in the decisions that they take.
“Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect
their lives. Democracy allows eligible citizens to participate equally—either directly or through elected
representatives—in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic and
cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination.” -
http://en.wikipedia.org

Page | 33
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Page | 34
Appendix A
Irish Politicians Social Media Presence
Photo Name Party Constituency Positions
Caoimhghín
Ó Caoláin
SF
Cavan-
Monaghan
Member, Committee on Health and Children
Commun-
ity page
75
Éamon Ó Cuív FF Galway West
Member, Committee on Communications, Natural
Resources and Agriculture
2 Pages
39 Likes
26 Likes
1,641
Seán
Ó Fearghaíl
FF Kildare South
Member, Committee on Procedure and Privileges
Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade
Member, Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure
and Reform
1,850
Friends 154
Aodhán
Ó Ríordáin
LAB
Dublin North
Central
Member, Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and
Education
663 Likes 4,195
4 subs
2,195
views
Aengus
Ó Snodaigh
SF
Dublin South
Central
Education
Member, Committee on Investigations, Oversight and
Petitions
3,145
Friends
1,195 subs
2,094
Gerry Adams SF Louth
5,945
Likes
2,369
(Never
Tweeted)
James Bannon FG
Longford-
Westmeath
707
friends
463
0 subs
371
Views
Seán Barrett CC Dún Laoghaire Ceann Comhairle 366
cy FG Cork East
2,638
Friends
676
Richard Boyd
Barrett
PBP Dún Laoghaire
and Reform
5,101
Friends
3,106
96 Subs
28,228
Views
Pat Breen FG Clare Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade 5,031 1,012
8 Subs
567
Views
Tommy
Broughan
LAB
Dublin North
East
and Reform
John Browne FF Wexford
Member, Committee on Members' Interests of Dáil
Éireann
41 Likes

Page | 35
Richard Bruton FG
Dublin North
Central
Minister, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and
Innovation
1,559
Likes
1,997
3 subs
150
views
Joan Burton LAB Dublin West Minister, Department of Social Protection
2,205
Likes
9,136
Ray Butler FG Meath West
Education
Jerry Buttimer FG
Cork South
Central
897 Likes 3,765
Catherine
Byrne
FG
Dublin South
Central
620
Friends
0 subs
166
views
Eric Byrne LAB
Dublin South
Central
731
Friends
1,051
12 subs
6994
views
Dara Calleary FF Mayo
Member, Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality
Petitions
3,245
Friends
2,251
Ciarán Cannon FG Galway East
2,075
Friends
1,419
5 Subs
3,259
Views
Joe Carey FG Clare Member, Committee on Procedure and Privileges
5,069
Likes
1,774
Paudie Coffey FG Waterford
1,335
0 Subs
277
Views
Áine Collins FG
Cork North
West
Education
1,840
Friends
Joan Collins PBP
Dublin South
Central
Education
Petitions
1,069
2 subs
294
views
Niall Collins FF Limerick
5,248
Likes
570
Michael
Colreavy
SF
Sligo-North
Leitrim
334 Likes 499
Michael
Conaghan
LAB
Dublin South
Central
Education
Petitions
Seán Conlan FG
Cavan-
Monaghan

Page | 36
Paul
Connaughton
FG Galway East Member, Public Accounts Committee
1,525
Friends
152
Followers
Ciara Conway LAB Waterford Member, Committee on Health and Children
Friends
Hidden
2,659
Noel Coonan FG
Tipperary
North
Friends
Hidden
866
Marcella
Corcoran
Kennedy
FG Laois-Offaly
1,929
Friends
n/a
0 Subs
162
views
Joe Costello LAB Dublin Central Member, Committee on European Union Affairs 285 Likes 2,119
Simon Coveney FG
Cork South
Central
Minister, Department of Agriculture, the Marine and
Food
1,093
Likes
9,048
6 subs
4,774
views
Barry Cowen FF Laois-Offaly
Education
153 Likes
Michael Creed FG
Cork North
West
and Reform
461
Friends
219
Lucinda
Creighton
FG
Dublin South
East
1,753
Friends
8,312
2 subs
385
views
Seán Crowe SF
Dublin South
West
Education
1,821
friends
0 subs
52
views
Clare Daly SOC Dublin North
1129 2197
14
subscrib
ers
2693
views
Jim Daly FG
Cork South
West
and Reform
415
John Deasy FG Waterford Member, Public Accounts Committee
Jimmy
Deenihan
FG
Kerry North-
West Limerick
Minister, Department of Arts, Heritage and the
Gaeltacht
372
Pat Deering FG
Carlow-
Kilkenny
1318
friends
271

Page | 37
Pearse Doherty SF
Donegal South
West
and Reform
4995
friends
8508
Regina Doherty FG Meath East
2053
friends
943
Stephen
Donnelly
IND Wicklow
and Reform
3044 7608
13 subs
64,490
views
Paschal
Donohoe
FG Dublin Central
395 3525
Timmy Dooley FF Clare
10 231
Robert Dowds LAB
Dublin Mid
West
270 likes
1331
friends
924
173
Andrew Doyle FG Wicklow
5020 543
Bernard Durkan FG Kildare North
18 584
Dessie Ellis SF
Dublin North
West
5472 471
3 subs
1145
views
Damien English FG Meath West
Education
1235
Alan Farrell FG Dublin North
Petitions
1595
1 subs
129
views
Frank Feighan FG
Roscommon-
South Leitrim
989
Anne Ferris LAB Wicklow Member, Public Accounts Committee 364 74
Martin Ferris SF
Kerry North-
West Limerick
565
Frances
Fitzgerald
FG
Dublin Mid
West
Minister, Department of Children 2199

Page | 38
Peter
Fitzpatrick
FG Louth Member, Committee on Health and Children 3690 135
Charles
Flanagan
FG Laois-Offaly
Petitions
3608 1886
Luke Flanagan IND
Roscommon-
South Leitrim
11633 11067
Terence
Flanagan
FG
Dublin North
East
499
Seán Fleming FF Laois-Offaly
and Reform
51
Tom Fleming IND Kerry South
Education
226
Eamon Gilmore LAB Dún Laoghaire
Minister, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Tánaiste
2970
Noel Grealish IND Galway West 146
Brendan Griffin FG Kerry South
Education
542
John Halligan IND Waterford
Education
4750 815
Dominic
Hannigan
LAB Meath East
1529 likes 2139
Noel
Harrington
FG
Cork South
West
404 likes 987
0 subs
176
views
Simon Harris FG Wicklow Member, Public Accounts Committee 1340 likes 2832
Brian Hayes FG
Dublin South
West
1732 likes 1826 11
Tom Hayes FG
Tipperary
South
1420
Séamus Healy IND
Tipperary
South
4231
friends
237

Page | 39
Michael Healy-
Rae
IND Kerry South
Petitions
Martin Heydon FG Kildare South
963
4 subs
379
views
Joe Higgins SOC Dublin West
and Reform
4912
friends
13,865
313
subs
137,763
views
Phil Hogan FG
Carlow-
Kilkenny
Minister, Department of Environment, Community
and Local Government
3560 fans 1377
Brendan
Howlin
LAB Wexford
Minister, Department of Public Expenditure and
Reform
Heather
Humphreys
FG
Cavan-
Monaghan
and Reform
1051
friends
Kevin
Humphreys
LAB
Dublin South
East
and Reform
344 likes 1490
1 subs
742
views
Derek Keating FG
Dublin Mid
West
Member, Committee on Health and Children 500
Colm Keaveney LAB Galway East
3235
Paul Kehoe FG Wexford
Minister of State and Government Chief Whip,
Department of An Taoiseach
307 likes 1666
0 subs
284
views
Billy Kelleher FF
Cork North
Central
117
friends
417
Alan Kelly LAB
Tipperary
North
5052
friends
1688
Enda Kenny FG Mayo Taoiseach, Department of An Taoiseach 7140 13868
Seán Kenny LAB
Dublin North
East
336
friends
439
Séamus Kirk FF Louth Member, Joint Administration Committee
426
friends
229

Page | 40
Michael Kitt FF Galway East
89 friends
Seán Kyne FG Galway West
Education
607 353
1 subs
156
views
Anthony Lawlor FG Kildare North
Education
1196
friends
525
1097
views
Michael Lowry IND
Tipperary
North
5145
friends
2628
Ciarán Lynch LAB
Cork South
Central
1193
friends
1970
Kathleen Lynch LAB
Cork North
Central
3031 1866
John Lyons LAB
Dublin North
West
Education
1034 1924
1 subs
0 views
Pádraig
MacLochlainn
SF
Donegal North
East
Private 816
5 subs
908
views
1
Eamonn
Maloney
LAB
Dublin South
West
Member, Committee on Health and Children 757
Micheál Martin FF
Cork South
Central
Leader of the Opposition
5058
friends
4175
Peter Mathews FG Dublin South
Petitions
and Reform
327 2643
Michael
McCarthy
LAB
Cork South
West
Petitions
253 910
Charlie
McConalogue
FF
Donegal North
East
Petitions
661 624
Mary Lou
McDonald
SF Dublin Central
and Reform
10560 5142
6 subs
741
views
Nicky
McFadden
FG
Longford-
Westmeath
Education
3100 968

Page | 41
Dinny McGinley FG
Donegal South
West
1980
friends
826
Finian McGrath IND
Dublin North
Central
Member, Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality 72 273
Mattie
McGrath
IND
Tipperary
South
4693
friends
645
Michael
McGrath
FF
Cork South
Central
and Reform
1022
friends
John
McGuinness
FF
Carlow-
Kilkenny
4016
friends
112
2 subs
361
views
Joe McHugh FG
Donegal North
East
38 645
Sandra
McLellan
SF Cork East
1399
friends
Tony
McLoughlin
FG
Sligo-North
Leitrim
968
friends
64
Michael
McNamara
LAB Clare
643 140
Olivia Mitchell FG Dublin South
Éireann
and Reform
581
friends
1335
Mary Mitchell
O'Connor
FG Dún Laoghaire
Education
1358
friends
1012
1 subs
2238
views
Michael
Moynihan
FF
Cork North
West
Michelle
Mulherin
FG Mayo
Petitions
2640
friends
1334
4 subs
3248
views
Catherine
Murphy
IND Kildare North
857
friends
1334 2
Dara Murphy FG
Cork North
Central
1403
friends
284

Page | 42
Eoghan Murphy FG
Dublin South
East
Member, Public Accounts Committee 2563 2175
2 subs
552
views
3
Gerald Nash LAB Louth
3846 1264
0 subs
9 views
Denis Naughten IND
Roscommon-
South Leitrim
Member, Committee on Health and Children 2882 2212
Dan Neville FG Limerick Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade
1292
friends
706
Derek Nolan LAB Galway West
Petitions
2251
friends
1167
3 subs
1108
views
Michael
Noonan
FG Limerick City Minister, Department of Finance
Patrick Nulty LAB Dublin West
1666
Jonathan
O'Brien
SF
Cork North
Central
and Reform
337
friends
1586
Willie O'Dea FF Limerick City
Education
5127
friends
2190
Kieran
O'Donnell
FG Limerick City
and Reform
511
friends
631
Patrick
O'Donovan
FG Limerick
1915 653
Fergus O'Dowd FG Louth 497 2424
John O'Mahony FG Mayo
2670
friends
920
Joe O'Reilly FG
Cavan-
Monaghan
2349
friends
515
Jan O'Sullivan LAB Limerick City
2914
friends
2173
Maureen
O'Sullivan
IND Dublin Central Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade 244 708

Page | 43
Willie Penrose LAB
Longford-
Westmeath
1071
John Perry FG
Sligo-North
Leitrim
2434
friends
563
Ann Phelan LAB
Carlow-
Kilkenny
Member, Joint Administration Committee Private 336
John Paul
Phelan
FG
Carlow-
Kilkenny
Petitions
636 1876
Thomas Pringle IND
Donegal South
West
Éireann
466 1341
Ruairi Quinn LAB
Dublin South
East
Minister, Department of Education and Skills 3299
Pat Rabbitte LAB
Dublin South
West
Minister, Department of Communications, Energy and
Natural Resources
James Reilly FG Dublin North Minister, Department of Health 543 4054
Michael Ring FG Mayo 476
Shane Ross IND Dublin South Member, Public Accounts Committee 16363
7 subs
1865
views
Brendan Ryan LAB Dublin North
Education
274
928
Alan Shatter FG Dublin South Minister, Department of Justice, Equality and Defence 1589
Seán Sherlock LAB Cork East 1143 4694 0
Róisín Shortall LAB
Dublin North
West
Brendan Smith FF
Cavan-
Monaghan
Education
22 90

Page | 44
Arthur Spring LAB
Kerry North-
West Limerick
and Reform
567 1051
Emmet Stagg LAB Kildare North Member, Committee on Procedure and Privileges
Brian Stanley SF Laois-Offaly
309
David Stanton FG Cork East
Éireann
Private 1076
Peadar Tóibín SF Meath West
Education
Petitions
3781
friends
1101 6
Billy Timmins FG Wicklow
and Reform
4731
friends
715
Robert Troy FF
Longford-
Westmeath
221 383
Joanna Tuffy LAB
Dublin Mid
West
349 1625
Liam Twomey FG Wexford
and Reform
2681
friends
558
Leo Varadkar FG Dublin West Minister, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport 417 1178
Jack Wall LAB Kildare South
Éireann
Mick Wallace IND Wexford
Petitions
4995
friends
7260
10 Subs
6486
views
Brian Walsh FG Galway West
155 458
Alex White LAB Dublin South
and Reform
589 1237
Appendix B

Page | 45
Irish Government Departments – Social Media Presence
[Note: Figures given are for the Departments – many Departments have sub-divisions/sections with their own
Social Media presence.]
Government Body What are they responsible for?
An Bord Bia Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, acts as a link
between Irish food, drink and horticulture
suppliers and existing and potential customers
throughout the world. Our objective is to
develop markets for Irish suppliers and to bring
the taste of Irish food to more tables world-wide.
9,988 10,588 189
Subs
127,512
views
An Bord Glas The Bord Glas Quality Programme involves
implementing quality systems which ensure that
horticultural produce is produced and handled in
line with best practices and procedures, while
also fulfilling current regulatory requirements.
An Bord Pleanála "To play our part as an independent national
body in an impartial, efficient and open manner,
to ensure that physical development and major
infrastructure projects in Ireland respect the
principles of sustainable development, including
the protection of the environment."
An Chomhairle
Ealaíon (The Arts
Council)
The Arts Council of Ireland is the Irish government
agency for developing the arts. We work in
partnership with artists, arts organisations, public
policy makers and others to build a central place
for the arts in Irish life.
687 4,021
An Chomhairle
Leabharlanna
AskAboutIreland is managed by An Chomhairle
Leabharlanna, supported by the Department of
the Environment, Community and Local
Government with funding from the Information
Society Fund.
258 558 9 subs
792
views
Appeal
Commissioners for
purposes of Tax Acts
The Appeal Commissioners are responsible for
carrying out the statutory duties assigned under
the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 and related
legislation, principally the hearing of appeals by
taxpayers against decisions of the Revenue
Commissioners concerning taxes and duties.
Area Development
Management Limited
The Area Development Management (Adm.ie)
Awards is an annual event honouring Irish
individuals and organisations for their amazing
achievements within Irish development areas.
These awards reward community organisations
and Irish businesses for all their hard work over

Page | 46
the years.
Army Pensions Board The Pensions Board's mission is to support a
sustainable pensions system that will provide
adequate and reliable pensions for retired and
older people and that achieves wide coverage.
Attorney General The Attorney General is the legal adviser to the
Government and is therefore the chief law officer
of the State.
Bord Fáilte Éireann Fáilte Ireland is the National Tourism
Development Authority. Our role is to support the
tourism industry and work to sustain Ireland as a
high-quality and competitive tourism destination.
535 10,069 56 subs
7841
views
Bord na gCon The Irish Greyhound Board - Bord na gCon - is a
commercial semi-state body which is responsible
for the control and development of the
greyhound industry in the Republic of Ireland.
6,010 204 subs
258,635
views
Blood Transfusion
Service Board
Organise and administer a blood transfusion
service including the processing or supply of
blood derivatives or other blood products, and
also including blood group and other tests in
relation to specimens of blood received by the
Board.
42,340 2787
Bord na Leabhar
Gaeilge
Foras na Gaeilge is the body responsible for the
promotion of the Irish language throughout the
whole island of Ireland.
Broadcasting
Commission of
Ireland
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland was
established on 1st October 2009 to regulate
content across all broadcasting, assuming the
roles previously held by the Broadcasting
Commission of Ireland (BCI) and the Broadcasting
Complaints Commission (BCC)
390 1031 2 subs
296
views
Campus and Stadium
Ireland Development
Limited
The National Sports Campus Development
Authority (NSCDA) was formally established on 1
January, 2007 under the National Sports Campus
Development Authority Act 2006
Censorship of
Publications Board
The Censorship of Publications Board is an
independent board in Ireland established by law
to examine books and periodicals for sale.
Central Statistics
Office
"The collection, compilation, extraction and
dissemination for statistical purposes of
information relating to economic, social and
general activities and conditions in the State".
5,864 6 subs
1,665
views
Central Fisheries
Board
On July 1st 2010 Inland Fisheries Ireland was
formally established as the agency responsible for
the conservation, protection, management,
marketing, development and improvement of our
inland fisheries and sea angling resources.

Page | 47
C.E.R.T. Now part of Failte Ireland.
Chester Beatty
Library
The Chester Beatty Library is a public charitable
trust established under the will of the late Sir
Alfred Chester Beatty, which was granted probate
in 1969.
1,863 1,567 14 subs
2,082
views
Chief State Solicitor’s
Office
See Attorney General above
Civil Service
Commissioners
The Civil Service Commissioners (later the Office
of the Civil Service and Local Appointments
Commissioners), a commission of three persons
charged with determining the standards for entry
to the Civil Service of the Government of Saorstát
Éireann
Coimisiún
Logainmneacha
An Coimisiún Logainmneacha, which was
established in 1946, advises on the research of
the place-names of Ireland and on providing
authoritative Irish forms of those names for
official and public use.
Comhairle na
Nimheanna
The functions of the Council are to advise the
Minister and the Minister for Agriculture and
Food in relation to any Regulation made under
the Poisons Act, and on any other matter in
relation to poisons, their manufacture, storage,
transport, distribution, sale or use.
Combat Poverty
Agency
Combat Poverty was established under the
Combat Poverty Agency Act 1986, which set out
our four general functions: policy advice, project
support and innovation, research and public
education.
Comhairle na
nOspidéal
Comhairle na nOspidéal, which is the body
appointed to regulate the number and type of
consultant appointments and to specify
qualifications for these levels.
Commission For
Aviation Regulation
The Commission for Aviation Regulation regulates
certain aspects of the aviation and travel trade
sectors in Ireland.
Commission for
Charitable Donations
and Bequests
The Commissioners, who offer their services on a
voluntary basis, provide various services for
charities. Many of the services are of a judicial or
quasi-judicial nature and must be exercised
according to the strict rule of law which governs
charities.
Commission for
Electricity Regulation
The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) is
the independent body responsible for overseeing
the liberalisation of Ireland's energy sector.
Competition The Competition Authority is an 262

Page | 48
Authority independent statutory body that enforces Irish
and European competition law.
Comptroller and
Auditor General
To provide independent assurance that public
money is properly managed and spent to good
effect and to contribute to improvements in
public administration.
Courts Service To manage the courts, support the judiciary
and provide a high-quality and professional
service to all users of the courts.
229
Defence Forces The Defence Forces Information Office is
responsible for providing accurate and timely
information to members of the general public as
well as serving and past members of the Defence
Forces.
26,594 4,973 1,843
subs
1,292,978
views
Dept of Agriculture,
Food and the Marine
The Irish Government's commitment to the agri-
food sector remains strong. In the Supplementary
Estimate for 2012, the Exchequer is providing
€1.339 billion for agriculture for agriculture,
fisheries and food and public expenditure will
amount to over €2.639 billion.
Dept of Community
Rural,& Gaeltacht
Affairs
The Department oversees the conservation,
preservation, protection and presentation of
Ireland's heritage and cultural assets. The
Department also seeks to promote the Irish
language and to support the Gaeltacht.
Dept of Defence The Department has civil and military elements
and was established by the Ministers and
Secretaries Act, 1924, which assigns to it “the
administration and business of the raising,
training, organisation, maintenance, equipment,
management, discipline, regulation and control
according to law of the military defence forces”.
Dept of Education &
Science
The Department of Education and Skills is a
department of the Irish state with responsibility
for education and training. The mission of the
Department is to provide high-quality education.
Dept of Enterprise,
Trade & Employment
To support the creation of good jobs by
promoting the development of a competitive
business environment in which enterprises will
operate to high standards and grow in
sustainable markets.
1,729
Dept of the
Environment,
Heritage & Local
Government
Our Statement of Strategy 2011-2014 sets out the
key objectives and strategies that will be pursued
by the Department in its core functional areas of
environment, and planning, housing, local
government, meteorological services and
corporate services over the coming three years.

Page | 49
Dept of Finance To support the achievement of the Government's
economic and social objectives by promoting a
sound, sustainable economic and budgetary
environment, continuing improvements in the
efficiency of public services, and an effective
framework for financial services.
Dept of Foreign
Affairs
The DFAT Strategy Statement sets out the foreign
policy objectives, as defined by the Government,
to be pursued by the Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade in the next three years.
19 Twitter
accounts
Main acc
@dfatirl
not
working at
present
Dept of Health &
Children
The Department of Health's statutory role is to
support the Minister in the formulation and
evaluation of policies for the health services. It
also has a role in the strategic planning of health
services. This is carried out in conjunction with
the Health Services Executive, voluntary service
providers, Government Departments and other
interested parties.
1 like
Dept of Justice,
Equality and Law
Reform
Our collective mission is to help make Ireland a
safer and fairer place in which to live and work,
visit and do business.
Dept of
Communications,
Marine & Natural
Resources
The Department of Communications, Energy and
Natural Resources has responsibility for the
Telecommunications, Broadcasting and Energy
sectors. It regulates, protects and develops the
Natural Resources of Ireland.
Dept of Transport To ensure that the transport, tourism and sport
sectors make the greatest possible contribution
to economic recovery, fiscal consolidation, job
creation and social development.
Dept of Social &
Family Affairs
The Mission Statement of the Department is to
promote active participation in society through
the provision of income supports, employment
services and other services.
Dept of the Taoiseach To provide the Government, Taoiseach and
Ministers of State with the support, policy
advice and information necessary for the
effective conduct of Government.
Dept of Arts Sport
&Tourism
This Department is responsible for the
formulation of national policies in connection
with arts, sports and tourism. The agencies under
its aegis are responsible for the implementation
of these policies.
Director of Consumer
Affairs
The National Consumer Agency (NCA) is a
statutory body established by the Irish
Government in May 2007 to enforce consumer
law and promote consumer rights.
6,114
Director of Public The Director's Office aims to operate to the

Page | 50
Prosecutions highest professional standards and to treat all
those with whom it has dealings fairly, equally,
and consistently without any wrongful
discrimination.
Dublin Transportation
Office
Eastern Regional
Fisheries Board
Enterprise Ireland Enterprise Ireland is the government organisation
responsible for the development and growth of
Irish enterprises in world markets.
2,633 7,240 266 subs
79,797
views
Environmental
Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency is at the
front line of environmental protection and
policing.
1,184 134 subs
83,644
views
Equality Authority The Equality Authority is an independent body set
up under the Employment Equality Act 1998. It
was established on 18th October 1999.
European Regional
Development Fund
Financial Control Unit
ERDF oversees the spending of EU funds in
Ireland.
Fàs
Fás International
Consultancy Limited
Fire Services Council The function of the Council is to provide courses
of instruction for the fire service personnel and
other persons and to advise the Minister in
relation to the education and training needs of
fire service personnel.
Food Safety Authority
of Ireland
The principal function of the Food Safety
Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is to take all
reasonable steps to ensure that food produced,
distributed or marketed in the State meets the
highest standards of food safety and hygiene
reasonably available.
1,405 301 23 subs
8,958
views
Forfàs Forfás is Ireland’s policy advisory board for
enterprise, trade, science, technology and
innovation.
147 1,488
Heritage Council The Heritage Council’s vision is that the value of
our heritage is enjoyed, managed and protected
for the vital contribution that it makes to our
identity, well-being and future.
1,663 677 18 sub
4,224
views

Page | 51
Health & Safety
Authority
The Health and Safety Authority is the national
statutory body with responsibility for enforcing
occupational safety and health law, promoting
and encouraging accident prevention, and
providing information and advice to all
companies, organisations and individuals.
3,523 892 179 subs
110,474
views
Horse Racing Ireland The HRI mission statement is "to develop and
promote Ireland as a world centre of excellence
for horse racing and breeding". Horse Racing
Ireland is responsible for racing in both
the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland.
658 1,623 272 subs
15,567
views
Housing Finance
Agency
Established as a state-owned company in 1982,
the Housing Finance Agency provides loan finance
to local authorities and voluntary housing bodies
for housing and related purposes.
IDA Ireland Ireland’s inward investment promotion agency,
IDA Ireland (Industrial Development Agency) is
responsible for the attraction and development
of foreign investment in Ireland.
11,369 115 subs
24,966
views
Information
Commissioner
The Office of the Information Commissioner
reviews decisions made by public bodies in
relation to Freedom of Information requests. Our
job is to review such decisions in a fair and
independent way.
Information Society
Commission
Website no longer available
Ireland-US
Commission for
Educational Exchange
A bilateral agreement between Ireland and the
United States was signed in 1988 and a statutory
public body, The Ireland - United States
Commission for Educational Exchange (The
Fulbright Commission), was established in 1992.
449 857 9 subs
1,738
views
Irish Film Board Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board
(IFB) is the national development agency for the
Irish film industry investing in talent, creativity
and enterprise. The agency supports and
promotes the Irish film industry and the use of
Ireland as a location for international production.
5,593 24,653 79 subs
14,915
views
Irish Manuscripts
Commission
Since 1928, when the Commission was
established by the Irish Government, scholarship
and learning have expanded beyond anything
that could have been conceived at the time. The
Commission has played a significant role in this
process by publishing to the highest scholarly
standard, editions, calendars and lists of primary
materials.
77
Irish Medicines Board The mission of the Irish Medicines Board
(IMB) is 'to protect and enhance public and
animal health through the regulation of
medicines, medical devices and healthcare
products'.
The Irish Museum of The Museum’s mission is to foster within society 11,500 6,507

Page | 52
Modern Art an awareness, understanding and involvement in
the visual arts through policies and programmes
which are excellent, innovative and inclusive.
Irish National Stud
Company
The Irish National Stud belongs to the people of
Ireland but prides itself on being enjoyed and
appreciated by visitors from all parts of the globe.
2,448 2,538 4 subs
16,000+
views
Irish Sports Council The Irish Sports Council plans, leads and co-
ordinate the sustainable development of
competitive and recreational sport in Ireland.
4 accounts
4,543 total
likes
2,297 Yes but
not stats
Irish Water Safety
Association
Did you know that on average 150 people drown
in Ireland each year? Most of these tragic deaths
happen inland, in rivers and lakes, on farms and
in and around homes and these accidents are
preventable.
1,088 114
Labour Relations
Commission
We work with employers and employees to
develop and improve good employment relations
practices and procedures in their workplaces.
Land Registry The Authority is a statutory body whose members
are representative of the main users and
consumers of property registration services. The
PRA replaced the Registrar of Deeds and Titles as
the "registering authority" in relation to property
registration in Ireland. Frank Treacy is the Interim
Chief Executive of the Authority.
Legal Aid Board The legal Aid Board is a statutory body
established under the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995.
The functions of the Board are: To provide legal
aid and legal advice in civil cases (i.e., non-
criminal cases) to people who meet the criteria
and to provide information about its services.
Local Appointments
Commissioners
The Public Appointments Service, formerly the
Office of the Civil Service and Local Appointments
Commissioners, is the centralised provider of
recruitment, assessment and selection services
for the Civil Service. We also provide recruitment
and consultancy services to local authorities, the
Health Service Executive, An Garda Síochána and
other public bodies.
1,313 102
Local Government
Computer Services
Board
The LGMA/LGCSB will be a national centre of
excellence providing, procuring and coordinating
a range of service supports, required in the local
government sector, which are most appropriately
and efficiently co-ordinated and at time delivered
at national level.
Marine Institute The Marine Institute is the national agency
responsible for Marine Research, Technology
Development and Innovation (RTDI).
118
National Archives Occupying a key position in the cultural and

Page | 53
intellectual life of the nation, the National
Archives holds the records of the modern Irish
State which document its historical evolution and
the creation of our national identity.
National Archives
Advisory Council
See above
National Centre For
Partnership and
Performance
The National Centre for Partnership &
Performance (NCPP) was established by
Government in 2001 to promote and facilitate
partnership-led change and innovation in
Ireland’s workplaces.
National Concert Hall The National Concert Hall, based in Dublin’s city
centre, is rated by performing artists as one of
the finest concert halls in Europe and boasts a
thrilling line-up of some of the world’s greatest
performers both nationally and internationally.
10,823 7,539 65 subs
54,270
views
National Consultative
Committee on Racism
and Interculturalism
In Ireland a National Coordinating Committee of
government departments/agencies and non
government organisations was established by the
Department of Equality and Law Reform.
National Dairy Council The NDC plays a vital role in driving a sustainable
dairy industry in Ireland and in educating
consumers on the role of dairy in their lifestyles.
5,681 183
National Council for
Curriculum &
Assessment
The mission is to advise the Minister for
Education and Skills on curriculum and
assessment from early childhood to the end of
second level, engage with learners, teachers,
practitioners, parents and others to support
innovation in schools and other educational
settings.
729
National Disability
Authority
The National Disability Authority is the
independent state body providing expert advice
on disability policy and practice to the Minister,
and promoting Universal Design in Ireland.
12 Subs
4,281
views
National Drugs
Strategy Team
Government policy is over seen by the National
Drugs Strategy Team, premised on the
recognition that drug misuse is a complex
problem, requiring a multidisciplinary response
across a range of government agencies, non-
governmental organisations, professionals and
communities.
National Economic
and Social Council
The National Economic and Social Council (NESC)
advises the Taoiseach on strategic issues for
Ireland’s economic and social development.
96
National Economic
and Social Fourm
Part of the NESC above
National Gallery of
Ireland
The National Gallery holds the National Collection
of European and Irish fine art.
4,026 7,494

Page | 54
National Library of
Ireland
The mission of the Library is to collect, preserve,
promote and make accessible the documentary
and intellectual record of the life of Ireland and to
contribute to the provision of access to the larger
universe of recorded knowledge.
6,473 5,707 28 subs
90 views
National Milk Agency The National Milk Agency was established under
the Milk (Regulation of Supply) Act, 1994 for the
purposes of maintaining an adequate supply of
liquid milk within the State.
National Museum of
Ireland
Welcome to Ireland’s premier cultural institution
and home to the greatest collections of Irish
material heritage, culture and natural history in
the world. Whether online or in person, we hope
your experience is engaging and inspiring.
5,079 8,300
National Roads
Authority
The Authority's primary function, under the
Roads Act 1993, is to secure the provision of a
safe and efficient network of National roads.
1,011
National Safety
Council
The RSA mission is simple: to make roads safer for
everyone. The current national Road Safety
Strategy aims to reduce collisions, deaths and
injuries by 30%.
27,860 1,721 70 subs
74,900
views
National Social Work
Qualifications Board
Our team members would work in collaboration
with your agency to undertake tasks and provide
up to date reports enabling you to deliver an
ongoing package of care to your clients.
National Standards
Authority of Ireland
NSAI enables Ireland to effect best international
standards across all business practices and
protects Irish consumers by setting regulatory
standards and enforcing measurement accuracy.
12 subs
6,074
National Statistics
Board
The National Statistics Board is responsible to
Government for developing its statistical strategy.
This responsibility includes the setting of
priorities for the compilation and development of
official statistics in Ireland and guiding the
strategic direction of the Central Statistics Office.
NDP - CSF Evaluation
Unit
NDP/CSF/ Evaluation Unit/Information Office
NDP - CSF Information
Office
As above
NDP - CSF Information
Technology Unit
As above
Northern Regional
Fisheries Board
North Western
Regional Fisheries

Page | 55
Board the conservation, protection, management,
Office of the Director
of Corporate
Enforcement
The mission of the office of the Director of
Corporate Enforcement is to improve the
compliance environment for corporate activity in
the Irish economy.
96 223
Office of the Director
of
Telecommunications
Regulation
ComReg is the statutory body responsible for the
regulation of the electronic communications
sector (telecommunications, radio
communications and broadcasting transmission)
and the postal sector.
Office of the Houses
of the Oireachtas
The Oireachtas (National Parliament) consists of
the President and two Houses: Dáil Éireann (the
House of Representatives) and Seanad Éireann
(the Senate)
1,684 8,861 99 subs
30,911
views
Office of Public
Works
Our customers are Government, other
Departments, Offices and Agencies and,
ultimately, the public.
Official Censor of
Films
IFCO, a statutory body first established in 1923, is
responsible for examining and certifying all
cinema films and videos/DVDs distributed in
Ireland.
Ombudsman The Office of the Ombudsman examines
complaints from members of the public who feel
they have been unfairly treated by certain public
bodies.
584
Ordnance Survey To maintain and develop the underlying physical
infrastructure to support mapping and mapping
applications.
1,579 279
Patents Office "To provide an efficient and effective system of
industrial property protection that will encourage
technological progress and promote enterprise
through the implementation by the Office of the
relevant legislation".
Pensions Board The Pensions Board's mission is to support a
sustainable pensions system that will provide
adequate and reliable pensions for retired and
older people and that achieves wide coverage
Postgraduate Medical
and Dental Board
See HSE
Radio Telefís Éireann RTE is the national TV and Radio broadcaster 20+
Facebook
pages for
various
shows
7+ Twitter
accounts
46,637
subs
59,680,2
91 views
Railway Procurement
Agency
Secure the provision of, or to provide, such light
railway and metro infrastructure as may be

Page | 56
determined from time to time by the Minister for
Transport
Registrar of Friendly
Societies
See Freedom of Information website
Registry of Deeds The Registry of Deeds is located in Henrietta
Street, Dublin, Ireland and is a reposity of records
of wills, land transactions in Ireland and other
deeds from 1709.
Revenue
Commissioners
Assess, collect and manage taxes and duties for
over 93% of Exchequer Revenue
781 47 subs
116,779
views
RTE Commercial
Enterprises Limited
See RTE
RTE Music Limited See RTE
Seirbhísí na Gaeilge
Teoranta (TG4)
Ireland Irish language TV channel 15,508 4,937 392 subs
392,636
views
Shannon Free Airport
Development Ltd
Shannon Development is a government owned
regional development company dedicated to
promoting and developing the Shannon Region of
Ireland.
8,776
Shannon Regional
Fisheries Board
Social Welfare
Tribunal
See Dept of Social and Family Affairs
Social Welfare
Appeals Office
See Dept of Social and Family Affairs
Southern Regional
Fisheries Board
South Western
Regional Fisheries
Board
Standards in Public
Office Commission
Its functions include supervising the disclosure of
interests and compliance with tax clearance
requirements, the disclosure of donations and
election expenditure and the expenditure of state
funding received by political parties.
State Laboratory The State Laboratory was established in 1924 to
provide an analytical and advisory service to the
newly formed Irish Government

Page | 57
Teagasc Teagasc is the agriculture and food development
authority in Ireland.
6,366 4 accounts
3,515
103 Subs
50,677
views
The Agency For
Personal Services
Overseas
The Agency for Personal Service Overseas (APSO)
is an Irish government agency which was set up
to promote temporary personal service by people
from Ireland in the developing world.
Ùdaràs na Gaeltachta Údarás na Gaeltachta is the regional authority
responsible for
the economic,social and cultural development of
the Gaeltacht
365 830 708 Subs
30,725
views
Valuation Office The Valuation Office is the State property
valuation agency.
Victim Support
Western
Development
Commission
A confident and ambitious Western Region where
excellence, innovation and creativity are
rewarded.
7,089 3,243 14 subs
8912
views
Western Regional
Fisheries Board

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