On Thursday April 7th a group of us TCS students travelled to the US Ambassador’s Residence in Phoenix Park, the Deerfield Residence. We were very lucky to be the first school invited to visit the Ambassador as part of the ‘Open Doors Series’. Deerfield residence has been the official residence of the United States Ambassador since 1927 so we were very excited to visit this historic residence. When we arrived we were greeted at the gate by the American Ambassador, Claire Cronin. Claire Cronin is the new US Ambassador for Ireland. She was appointed by President Joe Biden and began working as Ambassador in 2022.
First we were taken on a short tour around the grounds. There was a lovely flower garden and we were shown a 9/11 memorial in the garden. We then took a group picture outside the Ambassador’s house before entering. The Ambassador took us on a tour of all the bottom floor rooms the Deerfield Residence. One of the rooms had a huge window where we could see the fields surrounding the Embassy. The view was very nice. Claire Cronin told us about how she has to have security guards with her at all times, which I found surprising.
Once we had seen everything, we went to another room and started the Q&A. We all got free crisps and drinks which was great. The Q&A was very informative and I gained an insight into the role of the US Ambassador. The role of the Ambassador is to represent The United States here in Ireland. I learned about the work she has done as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She talked about the deep historical connection that America and Ireland have, spanning hundreds of years. She talked about the numerous US presidents that have stayed at the Deerfield Residence while visiting Ireland, including JFK, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden when he was Vice President. Before we left were all given face masks and cups with the US Embassy symbol on them. It was a great experience for all of us.
By Seán Martin Byrne
