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Showing posts from October, 2014

Gary Hart is new US Envoy to Northern Ireland, Says John Kerry

US Secretary of State  John Kerry  named former Colorado Senator Gary Hart as the new representative for Northern Ireland issues.   Kerry said Hart will play a "direct, on-the-ground diplomatic role." In a statement released on October 21, 2014, Secretary Kerry said, "I've asked Senator Hart to support the parties in Northern Ireland as they enter a new round of talks to achieve a lasting peace. We welcome these new talks, supported by the United Kingdom and Ireland . I am confident Senator Hart will help the parties strengthen the institutions and economy of Northern Ireland , as well as reinvigorate efforts to promote a shared society. Our Consul General in Belfast Greg Burton will serve as Senator Hart’s deputy for his Northern Ireland work. Senator Hart expects to visit Belfast before the end of the month." Here is the  full statement . Father Sean McManus, founder of the  Irish National Caucus  and long-time authority on Northern Ireland ,

US Ambassador Kevin O'Malley Sends Video Greeting to People of Ireland

Kevin F. O'Malley , the new US Ambassador to the Ireland appointed by President Barack Obama , issued a video greeting this week to the Irish people. "I'm delighted to join you here in Ireland," O'Malley said in the video, adding that he would "look forward to building on the family, cultural and business ties we share between our two countries." O'Malley was nominated by President Obama on June 5, 2014 and was confirmed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 18, 2014. Here is a biography of Ambassador O'Malley. The US Embassy to Ireland is located at 42 Elgin Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin.

United States and Ireland Celebrate 90 Years of Diplomatic Relations on October 7

Tuesday, October 7, 2014 marks the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the United States.  That was the day, in 1924, when "Professor Timothy Smiddy presented his credentials as Ambassador of the Irish Free State to U.S. President Calvin Coolidge ," according to a new video issued by the  Embassy of Ireland in the United States . "America became the first country with whom we established diplomatic relations," noted Anne Anderson , Ireland's current Ambassador to the United States, in the video. But it would take almost three more years before Washington and Dublin could enjoy a reciprocal diplomatic relation because of a lack of clarification about the "status of each one of the self-governing Dominions constituting the British Commonwealth," wrote The Boston Globe  on August 21, 1927.  Once that obstacle was clarified, the United States soon after assigned career diplomat Frederick Sterling to serve as the fir