Irish representative to UN Jim Kelly dies suddenly

President Michael D Higgins has led tributes to Jim Kelly, a senior Irish diplomat representing Ireland at the United Nations, who has died suddenly.

Mr Kelly (57) was Ireland’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, and previously served as ambassador to Canada.

“It is with great sorrow that I learned of the sudden death of Ireland’s Ambassador, UN Deputy Permanent Representative Jim Kelly,” Mr Higgins said.

“As President of Ireland and on behalf of Sabina and myself, may I convey our deepest condolences to his wife Anne and his daughters, Orla and Ciara on their sad loss.

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“Ambassador Kelly was a hugely popular figure across both the UN and with his colleagues at the Department of Foreign Affairs. He served with distinction in several missions, as Ambassador to Canada, at Ireland’s Permanent Representation to the EU, at Ireland’s Embassy in Copenhagen, and in variety of roles in Dublin.

“Ambassador Kelly will be remembered by his colleagues and a wide circle of friends at home and abroad as a man of great kindness and integrity, epitomising the finest values of public service, through his dedicated work at the UN in New York. Our thoughts are also, at this time, with Ambassador Byrne Nason, and with Jim’s work colleagues at Ireland’s Permanent Mission in New York.

“We are thinking of you all at this extremely difficult time of loss of a colleague.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney, in a statement on Friday, said it was with "great sadness" that he had learned of the diplomat's death.

“Ireland has lost an outstanding diplomat, a great public servant and a kind and generous human being,” he said.

Mr Kelly had been “central” to Ireland’s “robust response” at the UN to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said.

“Little of what Ireland has achieved in the Security Council would have been possible without Jim’s wise counsel, extensive network and encyclopaedic knowledge of the UN,” he said.

“Whether maintaining open humanitarian crossings from Turkey into Syria that provide life-saving aid to 3 million people, championing the role of women in international peace and security, or acting as Security Council facilitator on the Iran nuclear deal, Jim has been a vital leader,” Mr Coveney said.

Previously Mr Kelly also worked in the department’s EU office in Brussels, in the Copenhagen embassy, as well as a number of roles in Dublin.

In a post on Twitter, the Irish mission to the UN said Mr Kelly was an “outstanding diplomat, generous colleague, and dear friend”.

He is survived by his wife Anne, and two daughters Orla and Ciara.

Abdulla Shahid, the president of the UN General Assembly, said Mr Kelly was a “great colleague, and a talented diplomat,” expressing condolences to his family and colleagues.

Minister of State for European affairs Thomas Byrne said he was sad to hear news of the diplomat’s death, adding he had “represented Ireland over many years with dignity, honour and aplomb”.

The Irish embassy in Canada said it was “devastated” to learn of Mr Kelly’s death. “He was beloved by the community here and represented Ireland with pride. We are thinking of his family today, and all who had the honour of knowing him,” the embassy said in a statement.

In a speech at the UN in recent weeks, Mr Kelly criticised the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which he said had created “a humanitarian catastrophe,” with millions of innocent civilians “paying the terrible price of conflict”.

Adrian O’Neill, Ireland’s ambassador to the UK, said he had been an “outstanding diplomat and a wonderful person, his loss is deeply mourned by all in the DFA family”.

Mary Wareham, director of advocacy at the arms division of Human Rights Watch said Mr Kelly would be “greatly missed” by UN agencies and civil society organisations alike.