A CLARECASTLE woman has officially become Ireland’s first female Ambassador to Singapore.

Ambassador Sarah McGrath last week presented her credentials to President Halimah Yacob, the first female president of Singapore.

Ambassador McGrath is also responsible for Ireland’s relations with Brunei Darussalam.

In her welcome message Ambassador McGrath stated, “I am thrilled to have moved to the Little Red Dot and proud to be the first Irish woman to hold the role of Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore.

“Representing Ireland in Singapore is an honour and a privilege and I look forward to broadening and deepening the many connections which already exist between our two island nations during my time here.”

She continued, “I am proud to lead a small but dedicated team here at the Embassy which works in partnership with Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland to promote Irish interests in Singapore, to build the bilateral relationship and to provide consular and visa services.

“People are at the heart of what we do and the active and diverse Irish community here in Singapore will be a major priority for me alongside getting to know Singaporeans and others based here who have links to or an affinity for Ireland.”

Ambassador McGrath is a career diplomat with over 20 years of experience in the Irish foreign service.

Prior to her appointment as Ambassador of Ireland to Singapore, Ambassador McGrath served as Director for UN and International Financial Institutions in the Development Cooperation and Africa Division of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.

A significant portion of her career has been spent working on the Northern Ireland peace process, most recently as Political and Reconciliation Director from 2015 to 2018.

Ambassador McGrath has served at the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations in New York and the Embassy of Ireland in Berlin. She was also the Director of the Department’s Strategy and Performance Unit. 

Ambassador McGrath graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Law from University College Cork in 2001. She is an alumnus of the US State Department International Visitor Leadership Programme (2019).