Consulate History and previous Consuls General
Find out about the history of the Consulate in Chicago and Ireland's previous Consuls General to Chicago and the Midwest.
The first Irish Consul General to Chicago was Daniel J. McGrath, appointed in 1933.
The Consulate of Ireland was based in Chicago’s iconic Wrigley Building at 400 N Michigan Ave from 1933-2011. In 2011 the Consulate moved across the Chicago River to its current location, in an office on the 18th floor of the Kemper Building at 1 East Wacker Drive.
Consul General Kevin Byrne is Ireland’s 23rd Consul General to the Midwestern United States.
| 1933 | Opened January 1933, Daniel J. McGrath, Consul |
| 1943 | Garth Healy, Consul |
| 1949 | John M. Conway, Consul |
| 1956 | Sean Ronan, Consul |
| 1961 | Gearoid O’Clerigh, Acting Consul General |
| 1963 | Dr. Sean O hEieain, Consul General |
| 1965 | Brian O’Ceallaigh, Consul General |
| 1971 | Tim Corcoran, Consul General |
| 1975 | Tom Lyons, Consul General |
| 1977 | Ronan Murphy, Consul General |
| 1980 | Liam Canniffe, Consul General |
| 1985 | Peter Gunning, Consul General |
| 1989 | Gary Ansbro, Consul General |
| 1993 | Barrie Robinson, Consul General |
| 1994 | Frank Sheridan, Consul General |
| 1998 | Eamon Hickey, Consul General |
| 2002 | Charles Sheehan, Consul General |
| 2006 | Sean Farrell, Consul General |
| 2007 | Martin Rouine, Consul General |
| 2011 |
Aidan Cronin, Consul General |
| 2015 |
Orla McBreen, Consul General |
| 2016 | Brian O'Brien, Consul General |
| 2020 | Kevin Byrne, Consul General |