US Ambassador to Ireland appointment held up by row

Near gridlock in the US Congress has delayed the appointment of the country’s ambassador to Ireland, certainly for weeks, potentially for months.

Kevin O’Malley, a Missouri lawyer, was expected to be confirmed as ambassador by the Senate on Thursday. He would have been expected to land in Ireland within days to take up a post vacant for more than a year and a half.

However, this and a raft of other diplomatic appointments were held up by a spat over the confirmation of the ambassador to Russia.