February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Hutchinson, who is 54, is originally from County Derry. His new posting will be as the Irish ambassador to Malaysia, where the diplomat will also oversee nearby Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. He will be relieving Dan Mulhall.
Tim O’Connor, currently the south joint secretary for the North-South Ministerial Council in Armagh, will be taking Hutchinson’s place in New York.
The announcement came last week along with 24 appointments by
Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs.
Breandan O’Caollai, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs, said that the Irish president, Mary MacAleese, made the appointments official.
“Ultimately the government decides,” he said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs gives recommendations as to who should serve where to the Irish cabinet, which eventually decides on the matter.
Hutchinson, who was unavailable for comment, will spend the summer preparing to say goodbye to the city that has been home for the last four years. He and his wife, Ad