US Ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin has rounded off her term with an emotional reflection on her visit to the land of her ancestors in Inishowen.
Democrat Cronin (née McLaughlin) is signing off on 20th January ahead of the presidential inauguration of Republican Donald Trump.
“All good things must come to an end,” Ambassador Cronin said in an address on social media.
A look back on the highlights of her two years as Ambassador began with her visit to Carrowmenagh near Moville, where her grandfather Hugh McLaughlin was born in 1886.
Cronin received a warm Donegal welcome in May 2022 as she met with relatives and visited the grave of her great-grandparents and the site of their former home during her visit.
Cronin’s family’s history in Carrowmenagh is bittersweet. Her family was one of 13 families to be evicted in December 1881. Hugh McLaughlin emigrated to the U.S. with three of his brothers in 1912. Hugh married an Englishwoman, Mary A. Lappin, in Manhattan in 1915.
As she departs Deerfield Residence, Cronin said: “It has been the honour of my lifetime to represent President Biden in the land of my ancestors.”
Cronin said that she leaves Ireland with a sense of hope, adding: “The future is bright for the US-Ireland relationship.”
President-Elect Donald Trump has nominated construction executive Edward Walsh from New Jersey as the next ambassador to Ireland.
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All good things must come to an end! ☘️
It has been the honor of my life to serve as @potus’s Ambassador to Ireland. Slán go fóil! Bye for now! 🇮🇪🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/zFQg9MoWts
— Ambassador Claire Cronin (@USAmbIreland) January 17, 2025
