New US ambassador to Ireland sworn in

Richard Egan has been sworn in as the next US ambassador to Ireland.

The ceremony took place at the Four Seasons restaurant in Boston where White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card conducted the swearing-in.

Egan won Senate confirmation earlier this month.

The 65-year-oid is a prominent Republican political donor. In December, he wrote a £70,000 cheque to President Bush’s inauguration committee.

Egan is well-known in Irish political and business circles. EMC Corporation, the computer data storage company he co-founded, operates a major manufacturing plant in Cork and has sales offices in Dublin and in Northern Ireland.