merrion street

The Government has announced that, following consultation with the President, Ms Orla O’Hanrahan, at present Director General of Global Irish Services in the Department of Foreign Affairs, will be appointed Secretary General to the President.

Her appointment arises as Mr. Art O’Leary will soon complete his seven-year term as Secretary General to the President.  Mr. O’Leary will be appointed to work on the preparatory institutional and administrative arrangements for the Electoral Commission, pending its formal establishment.

Ms O’Hanrahan is the first woman to be appointed as Secretary General to the President and will take up duty shortly.

ENDS 

Notes for Editors:

Orla O’Hanrahan

Résumé

Orla O’Hanrahan is an Assistant Secretary at the Department of Foreign Affairs and is at present the Director General of its Global Irish Services Division, overseeing citizen consular services and emigrant support abroad.

A career diplomat, she has served in six diplomatic postings in the UK, USA and EU, most recently as Ambassador to Greece and previously as Ambassador to Sweden.  She also served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington D.C. and as Consul-General in Boston.

From Dublin, she is married and has two adult children.