The Senate has voted to confirm Kevin O’Malley as US Ambassador to Ireland.

He will take up the post after an almost two-year delay since Dan Rooney vacated the post.

The new ambassador was appointed by a voice vote and is expected to travel to Ireland very shortly from his St. Louis residence.

His appointment comes after major controversy when no ambassador was appointed and insiders stated potential candidates had failed background checks.

O’Malley is a successful medical malpractice lawyer and is also an officer in the Army Reserve.

He had ten years of service as a federal prosecutor. He is an ex-seminarian and prominent parishioner in the St. Louis diocese.

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He is a second-generation Irish American and a highly respected community leader in St. Louis. His grandfather was from Mayo and O’Malley held dual citizenship until he was tapped to become ambassador. He is married with a son.

O’Malley is a lawyer in practice at Greensfelder Attorneys at Law in St. Louis, MO. He is a well-known figure in Democratic Party circles and recently attended the Obama state dinner for French President Francois Hollande.

He has more than 35 years of trial experience and his practice primarily focuses on complex litigation involving medical negligence, federal white collar criminal defense, and product liability defense.

Earlier in his career, O’Malley served as a Special Attorney of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section at the Department of Justice, as well as an Assistant United States Attorney in St. Louis.

He is continuously selected for inclusion by the editors of “The Best Lawyers in America.”