US Ambassador to Ireland Claire D. Cronin and Ireland's Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin.@USAmbIreland, X

Nominated by US President Joe Biden in 2021, US Ambassador to Ireland Claire D. Cronin's term in Ireland is set to conclude with the end of Biden's Presidency this month.

On Tuesday, Cronin met with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, who thanked her for her “significant contribution to Irish and US relations.”

Martin said highlights of Cronin’s ambassadorship included President Biden’s official state visit to Ireland in 2023.

Responding to the Tánaiste’s post, Ambassador Cronin said she is “particularly grateful for the warm and constructive relationship I’ve had" with the Tánaiste.

She added that together, they have “worked hard to strengthen US - Irish relations.”

On Thursday, President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina received Cronin at Áras an Uachtaráin for a “farewell courtesy call," as is customary for all Ambassadors to Ireland.

Cronin said President Higgins is “a true statesman of remarkable intellect, compassion, and vision.”

She added that she is “grateful for his friendship and his unwavering commitment to our shared values.

In 2021, IrishCentral was the first to report that Massachusetts native Cronin was a contender for the Ambassador to Ireland role.

Cronin, whose grandfather hailed from Co Donegal, had considerable political experience before becoming Ambassador. She began serving in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2013 and, in 2021, became the first female to become the Majority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Cronin was a key figure in Biden’s Massachusetts primary win when he succeeded in defeating hometown candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren for the state’s nomination. She was also given the major perk of appearing on national television during the Democratic National Convention announcing Biden’s primary victory in her state.

In June 2021, she was formally nominated by President Biden for the Ambassador role. She was confirmed by the US Senate in December 2021, sworn in in January 2022, and officially began her role in Dublin in February 2022.

Cronin was a proponent of the J1 visa program, calling it "a launch pad for career advancement and a gateway to cross-cultural understanding, connecting people from around the world, including Ireland and the United States."

In January 2024 during Cronin's tenure, the US Embassy confirmed the purchase of a new site in Dublin. "The acquisition of a site for a new US Embassy building is a significant milestone," Cronin said, adding that it had been a "priority" for her.

The evening of the 2024 US Presidential election, which ultimately saw Trump topple Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, who became the nominee after Biden bowed out, Cronin told an election results watch party in Dublin that "the US-Irish relationship will remain strong, no matter who wins."

(The same day, however, The Ditch reported that in an October 22 email, Ambassador Cronin warned about “consequences” if the Irish Government passes the Occupied Territories Bill.)

Cronin was the 25th US Ambassador to Ireland and is the first female to hold the position since Jean Kennedy Smith, who served from 1993 - 1998. The last US Ambassador to Ireland, Edward Crawford, served from 2019 - 2021.

In December, President-elect Trump announced Edward Walsh, a New Jersey-based businessman, as his choice to become the next US Ambassador to Ireland.