Edward S Walsh, the US ambassador to Ireland, hosted an event at the American embassy in the Phoenix Park yesterday to celebrate the life and legacy of Margaret Heckler, who was appointed the first female American ambassador to Ireland in 1985.

Heckler, a daughter of Irish immigrants, had left the US amid controversy over her ousting as secretary of health and human services in the Ronald Reagan administration. Also remembered for representing Massachusetts in the House of Representatives for 16 years for the Republican Party, Heckler supported the Equal Rights Amendment and took the lead in sponsoring the 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which prohibited banks and other lenders from discriminating against women based on their gender or marital status. She was also a co-founder of the Congressional Women’s Caucus in 1977, which prioritised legislation relating to pension entitlements, family leave and domestic and sexual violence.

Walsh, hosting yesterday’s reception under the Freedom250 banner marking the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, recently attended Conor McGregor’s Black Forge pub, and posed for a photograph with McGregor’s UFC championship-winning belt.

Last year, McGregor was found liable for the sexual assault of Nikita Hand in December 2018, who was awarded nearly €250,000 in damages by a civil........

© The Irish Times