The Embassy of the United States of America in Dublin is the
diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
of the United States of America to the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
.
The
chancery is located at 42 Elgin Road,
Ballsbridge
Ballsbridge () (from historic Ball's Bridge) is an affluent neighbourhood of the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The area is largely north and west of a three-arch stone bridge across the River Dodder, on the south side of the city. Th ...
,
Dublin 4
Dublin 4, also rendered as D4 and D04, is a historic postal district of Dublin, Ireland including Baggot Street Upper, the southernmost fringes of the Dublin Docklands, and the suburbs of Ballsbridge, Donnybrook, Irishtown, Merrion, Ringsend ...
. The Ambassador's Official Residence is located at the
Deerfield Residence
The Deerfield Residence (formerly the Chief Secretary's Lodge) is the official residence of the United States Ambassador to Ireland.
The premises has been the Ambassador's Official Residence since 1927, and was previously the Embassy of the U ...
,
Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...
, Dublin 8.
History
Chancery
The embassy was designed by American architect
John M. Johansen, in consultation with Irish architect
Michael Scott. It was constructed between 1962 and 1964 on a triangular site at the intersection between Elgin Road and Pembroke Road. A Victorian house was previously on the site, and had been used as
Bord Fáilte
Cucerdea ( hu, Oláhkocsárd, Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a commune in Mureș County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Bord (''Bord''), Cucerdea, and Șeulia de Mureș (''Oláhsályi'').
The commune is located in the sout ...
as their headquarters. It was constructed by
G&T Crampton.
The building was officially opened on by Congressman
Wayne L. Hays
Wayne Levere Hays (May 13, 1911 – February 10, 1989) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative of Ohio, in the Democratic Party, from 1949 to 1976. He resigned from Congress after a much-publicized sex scandal.
Early year ...
.
The new building is circular in plan, incorporating modern interpretations of early Celtic and later Irish buildings with contemporary, bold American design as well as symbolising the
first American flag, and is considered a Dublin landmark. There are five floors at the complex, two underground and three above ground, plus a smaller sixth storey on the rooftop. The ambassador,
Grant Stockdale, proclaimed the building "the showpiece of Europe". Among Dubliners, it acquired the name "
Wall of Death
The wall of death, motordrome, velodrome or well of death is a carnival sideshow featuring a silo- or barrel-shaped wooden cylinder, typically ranging from in diameter and made of wooden planks, inside which motorcyclists, or the drivers of mi ...
" owing to its circular shape. Despite the modern design, it is deemed to sit well in its Victorian context as it of similar height to the surrounding buildings.
On 23 May 2011, a
2005 model Cadillac Presidential State Car was involved in an incident when it got stuck on a ramp as it exited the U.S. Embassy during an official visit by
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
. It is understood that the wheelbase of the vehicle was too great for the ramp, and it had to be towed off the ramp as a large crowd looked on. President Obama left the embassy through an alternative exit. The U.S.
Secret Service
A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...
later stated that the car was a spare, and that President Obama and
First Lady
First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...
Michelle Obama were in another vehicle.
Ambassador's Residence
Deerfield Residence
The Deerfield Residence (formerly the Chief Secretary's Lodge) is the official residence of the United States Ambassador to Ireland.
The premises has been the Ambassador's Official Residence since 1927, and was previously the Embassy of the U ...
, a large 18th-century house on over in the
Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...
, has since 1927 been the United States Ambassador's Official Residence in Ireland. Before the 1960s, the embassy was located at the grounds, then known as the ''Chief Secretary's Lodge''. The United States first opened a consulate in Ireland in 1859 at a building on Adelaide Road, Dublin 2, and also had a presence at
Merrion Square
Merrion Square () is a Georgian garden square on the southside of Dublin city centre.
History
The square was laid out in 1752 by the estate of Viscount FitzWilliam and was largely complete by the beginning of the 19th century. The demand fo ...
, Dublin 2 from 1948. Both current diplomatic premises are owned and operated by the
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
on behalf of the
United States federal government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fe ...
.
Future
In late 2012, the
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
announced the embassy will move to new location within a number of years. The chancery in Ballsbridge, which was 50 years old in 2014, has been deemed "no longer suitable", and an embassy spokesperson stated that the current building no longer meets the needs in terms of size of the expanding American diplomatic presence in Ireland (between 150 and 200 staff work at the embassy), and does not conform to new construction and security requirements ("code") issued by
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
A number of sites around Dublin City are being considered for the construction of a new embassy building, which will be on larger grounds, will be a larger building than the Ballsbridge Chancery, and may be located nearer to the
Ambassador's Residence and
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport (Irish: ''Aerfort Bhaile Átha Cliath'') is an international airport serving Dublin, Ireland. It is operated by DAA (formerly Dublin Airport Authority). The airport is located in Collinstown, north of Dublin, and south of ...
for security reasons and ease of access. However, completion of the move to a new embassy facility is likely to take up to 10 years and cost tens of millions of dollars.
Security
Security at the embassy is seen as a priority for Ireland's national police, the
Garda Síochána
(; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...
, and is protected around-the-clock by a team of armed, plainclothes detectives from the
Special Detective Unit
, headquarters = Harcourt Street, Dublin (D2)
, formed = as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID)
, preceding1 = Garda Special Branch
, preceding2 =
, jurisdiction = Ireland
, employees = Undisclosed~ 300
, budget = Undisclosed ...
(SDU), the force's
counter-terrorism
Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...
and
counter-intelligence
Counterintelligence is an activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or ot ...
section. They provide
close protection
A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, ...
to the ambassador and high-ranking diplomats when travelling outside of the embassy, as well as
motorcade security. The U.S. Ambassador's Residence (
Deerfield Residence
The Deerfield Residence (formerly the Chief Secretary's Lodge) is the official residence of the United States Ambassador to Ireland.
The premises has been the Ambassador's Official Residence since 1927, and was previously the Embassy of the U ...
,
Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...
) is also guarded. Within the embassy and residence grounds, security is the responsibility of the
Bureau of Diplomatic Security
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, commonly known as Diplomatic Security (DS), is the security branch of the United States Department of State. It conducts international investigations, threat analysis, cyber security, counterterrorism, and p ...
(
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
) and
Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, who are heavily armed. Following the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
in 2001, new secure entrances,
guardhouse
A guardhouse (also known as a watch house, guard building, guard booth, guard shack, security booth, security building, or sentry building) is a building used to house personnel and security equipment. Guardhouses have historically been dormit ...
s and blast walls were installed. The external windows of the chancery building are reflective, as a privacy measure. In late 2013, significant upgrades were made to the physical and perimeter security of the embassy, designed to reduce the threat of
vehicle bombings and to repel intruders.
This was part of U.S. government security directives at diplomatic missions across 14 different European nations in response to the
2012 Benghazi attacks.
Offices
* Citizen Services
* Consular Section (Visa)
*
Commercial Service
* Press/Public Affairs Section
* Information Resource Center
*
Agriculture Section
* Political and Economic Section
* Management Section
*
Defense Attaché Office
*
Marine Corps Embassy Security Group
*
U.S. Diplomatic Security Service
**
Regional Security Office
A Regional Security Office is the office at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate that oversees all functions of security. It is headed by a special agent of the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) who has the title of Regional Security Officer (RSO). ...
*
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...
**
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilit ...
(
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport (Irish: ''Aerfort Bhaile Átha Cliath'') is an international airport serving Dublin, Ireland. It is operated by DAA (formerly Dublin Airport Authority). The airport is located in Collinstown, north of Dublin, and south of ...
,
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport ( ga, Aerfort na Sionainne) is an international airport located in County Clare in the Republic of Ireland. It is adjacent to the Shannon Estuary and lies halfway between Ennis and Limerick. The airport is the third busiest ai ...
)
See also
*
List of ambassadors of the United States to Ireland
The United States Ambassador to Ireland is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States of America to Ireland. It is considered a highly prestigious position within the United States Foreign Service. The current ambassa ...
*
Embassy of Ireland, Washington, D.C.
The Embassy of Ireland in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of Ireland to the United States. It is located at 2234 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., at Sheridan Circle, in the Embassy Row neighborhood.
The embassy als ...
*
Foreign relations of Ireland
*
Ireland–United States relations
According to the governments of the United States and Ireland, relations have long been based on common ancestral ties and shared values. Besides regular dialogue on political and economic issues, the U.S. and Irish governments have official exc ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
United S
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...
Buildings and structures in Dublin (city)
Ireland–United States relations