Cliona Manahan

Ambassador to Czech Republic, Ireland

From her school days, Ambassador Cliona Manahan has been involved in the protection of human rights, and the promotion of equality with a particular focus on the role of women. While studying law in Trinity College Dublin, Professor Mary Robinson and Dr. Kader Asmal shared their considerable knowledge and experience which encouraged Cliona towards a career in public international law.

She joined the Department of Foreign Affairs as a Third Secretary in Dublin, and was part of the team involved in the Anglo Irish Agreement, then appointed Press Officer during negotiations for the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, and was Consul General of Ireland to Scotland when the St. Andews Agreement was finalised.

On return to DFAT HQ, while working with President McAleese in her final year in office, Cliona was involved in the historic first visit to Ireland by HM Queen Elizabeth. After, she headed the Latin America and Asia Pacific unit which led to the expansion of the Irish Embassy network in these key regions. Appointed Ambassador to Denmark and Iceland in 2014, she focused on strengthening relations with the Nordic Baltic Plus countries, notably their social models and equality policy. Additional issues included the SDGs, renewable energy, R&D, business and developing closer collaboration between bilateral embassies, private/public sectors, and with agencies such as UN Women Nordic, WHO and UNOPS at the UN City in Copenhagen. In September 2019, Ambassador Manahan was appointed to the Czech Republic and Ukraine, and is keen to closely collaborate with Czech, national and international networks to improve and strengthen our relations.