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Catherine Pierse will take over from Claire Loftus as the new director of public prosecutions next month, it has been announced.
Ms Loftus will stand down after 10 years in the role on November 7th.
Ms Pierse is currently the head of the prosecution support services division in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Announcing her appointment, a Government spokeswoman said she had “extensive experience of working in criminal law”.
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She was formerly head of legal and governance in the Policing Authority and also worked as a senior enforcement lawyer in the Central Bank of Ireland.
Previously, she was a legal adviser in the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission and prior to that worked as a criminal defence solicitor.
Ms Pierse was educated at University College Cork and Queen's University Belfast before qualifying as a solicitor in 2001.