Patricia O'Brien (born 8 February 1957) took up duty as Ambassador of Ireland to France and to Monaco in August 2017.
She had served from 2013 as the Permanent Representative (Ambassador) of Ireland to the United Nations and other International Organizations at Geneva.
From 2008 to 2013, she served as Legal Counsel and Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs at the United Nations, the first ever woman to hold that position.
In this role, she led the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs.
She was appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in August 2008.
Prior to joining the UN, O'Brien served as Legal Adviser to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland since 2003.
Previously, she was a Senior Legal Adviser in the Office of the Irish Attorney General and Legal Counsellor at the Irish Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels.O’Brien has three children.