The United States Ambassador to Ireland is the

ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

from the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is considered a highly prestigious position within the

United States Foreign Service The United States Foreign Service is the primary personnel system used by the diplomatic service of the United States federal government, under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of over 13,000 professionals carryi ...

. The current ambassador is Claire Cronin. The

chief of mission In diplomatic usage, head of mission (HOM) or chief of mission (COM) from the French "chef de mission diplomatique" (CMD) is the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an ambassador, high commissioner, nuncio, chargé d'affaires, perman ...

for the United States in Ireland held the title of

envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

from 1927 through 1950, and six people served in the role. Since 1950, the title has been ambassador, and 23 people have served in the role. Only the first envoy, Frederick A. Sterling, was a career

Foreign Service Officer A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U ...

– other envoys, and all ambassadors to date, have been non-career appointees. The first four envoys were commissioned to the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...

, prior to the formation of the State. The ambassador and embassy staff at large work at the

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 ...

Chancery of the Embassy of the United States, Dublin.

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 ...

is the official residence of the ambassador, located 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 ...

, Dublin.

Incumbent

The position was vacant from January 2017 through the end of June 2019, with Reece Smyth serving as the ''

chargé d'affaires A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador ...

'' of the U.S. Embassy in Ireland. The prior ambassador,

Kevin O'Malley Kevin Francis O'Malley (born May 12, 1947) is an American lawyer and diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Ireland from 2014 to 2017. Personal life and education Kevin O'Malley is a second generation Irish American, with dual citizens ...

, was nominated 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 ful ...

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 ...

and served from October 2014 until the

presidential inauguration A presidential inauguration is a ceremonial event centered on the formal transition of a new president into office, usually in democracies where this official has been elected. Frequently, this involves the swearing of an oath of office. Examples o ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. In December 2016, it was reported that then president-elect Trump intended to name Brian P. Burns as the next ambassador to Ireland. However, in June 2017, Burns withdrew his name from consideration, due to ill health. Edward F. Crawford, a businessman and entrepreneur from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

whose parents were from

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, was approved to be the next ambassador by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

's foreign relations committee in May 2019, confirmed by a vote of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on June 13, 2019, and sworn into office on June 26, 2019. He officially began his term as ambassador upon presentation of his credentials to

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can ...

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins ( ga, Mícheál Dónal Ó hUigínn; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, and broadcaster, who has served as the ninth president of Ireland since November 2011. Entering national politics throug ...

on July 1, 2019.

Chiefs of Mission

Envoys

Until 1950, the official title was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.
: Commissioned to the

: Died in office (while in Ireland) : Promoted to Ambassador

Ambassadors

Since 1950, the official title has been Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
: Died in office (while in the United States) : Interred in Ireland : Still living

Other nominees

Appointed or nominated, but did not serve. *W. W. McDowell :Appointment: September 13, 1933. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; did not serve under this appointment. Reappointed in January 1934. *William E. McCann :Note: Not commissioned; nomination of March 17, 1981, not acted upon by the Senate.

Chargé d’affaires

Interim chiefs of mission. * Stuart A. Dwyer :September 2013 – October 2014 * Reece Smyth :January 2017 – June 2019 * Alexandra McKnight :January 2021 – February 2022

References

United States Department of State: Background notes on Ireland
*

External links

United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Ireland

United States Department of State: Ireland

United States Embassy in Ireland

Twitter account (verified) of the United States Ambassador to Ireland
{{Ambassadors of the United States

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Politics of Ireland