A woman with very strong Donegal family ties has been sworn in as US Ambassador-Designate to Ireland during a formal session in the House chamber this evening.
Massachusetts House Majority Leader Claire Cronin’s grandparents left Inishowen to make new lives in the US.
Ms Cronin was met with applause from the House after being sworn in to the new role.
Her nomination was approved by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee in October.
She appeared before a virtual confirmation hearing in September and addressed issues including corporation tax and the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Ms Cronin said that if she was confirmed as ambassador, she would work closely with the US Congress and the Biden administration to advance US priorities and reinforce shared values in Ireland.
“When my grandfather left Donegal for the promise that America held, I can’t help but wonder what he would have thought if he knew his granddaughter would one day be testifying before this esteemed committee as the nominee to be the US Ambassador to Ireland,” she said at the time.
She is also a lawyer and campaigned for Joe Biden in Massachusetts ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
She was nominated for the role of ambassador by Mr Biden in June.
