On St. Patrick’s Day 1994, Amy Seigenthaler Pierce received a phone call that changed the trajectory of her life.
It was from her uncle, who had worked for John F. Kennedy’s White House administration, calling to tell Seigenthaler Pierce, BC ’88, that Jean Kennedy Smith, U.S. ambassador to Ireland at the time, was looking for an assistant—someone who could write, handle the press, and work alongside her. Seigenthaler Pierce seemed like the perfect candidate. He asked if she would be interested in interviewing.
Seigenthaler Pierce flew to Washington, D.C., to meet with Ambassador Smith the next day, and just a few months later, on July 4, 1994, she touched down in Dublin as special assistant to the United States ambassador.
Though it has been 25 years since Seigenthaler Pierce served as special assistant to the U.S. ambassador, her life and career are still intertwined with Ireland and the Irish people.
That connection was solidified in March 2024, when Seigenthaler Pierce was named the first Honorary Consul of Ireland in the state of Tennessee.
“I represented America there,” Seigenthaler Pierce said. “And that became my home. And now I’m representing Ireland here in my first home. It’s magical. I mean, it feels like it was a gift.”
As honorary consul, an unpaid position, Seigenthaler Pierce works to represent the Irish government, support Irish citizens, and promote business and cultural ties between Ireland and Tennessee.
“It’s supporting [Irish] citizens who are here,” Seigenthaler Pierce said. “However, I can also support Irish businesses that are here, Irish business people. So it’s representing the Irish government and looking for new opportunities to bring people together.”
A native of Nashville, Tenn., and a member of a family strongly connected to their Irish heritage, Seignethaler Pierce studied English at Boston College. After graduating, Seigenthaler Pierce worked as a crime and politics reporter at the Dedham Daily Transcript and the Salem Evening News.
“I come from a family that’s very involved in politics and current events and journalism,” Seignethaler Pierce said. “So it wasn’t a surprise that I followed that path into journalism, and I loved it.”
After about six years working as a journalist in Boston, Seigenthaler Pierce decided to return to Nashville to work at her father’s public relations firm, Seigenthaler Public Relations. During this period, she was offered the opportunity to serve as special assistant to Smith, a role she held from 1994 to 1999.
Seigenthaler Pierce arrived during an important period in Irish history. In August 1994, the Irish Republican Army, an Irish paramilitary group fighting against British rule in Northern Ireland, declared a ceasefire. In 1998, the Good Friday Agreement was signed, ending a decades-long period of violence across the island.
“What rose from that was this period—this sort of amazing period of which is still held—of peace and also prosperity,” Seigenthaler Pierce said. “It was called the Celtic Tiger … all of a sudden the world is focused on Ireland.”
Seigenthaler Pierce returned to the United States in 1999 and began working for Rasky Partners, a Boston and D.C.–based public relations in Boston and D.C., where she reconnected with an old BC classmate, Tim Pierce, BC ’88.
The two married in 2001.
In 2005, the couple moved to Nashville so Seigenthaler Pierce could rejoin her father’s firm following his death. For ten years, Seigenthaler Pierce served as president until the company was acquired by FINN Partners, where she now works as a managing partner.
“That’s been my career, public relations,” Seigenthaler Pierce said. “I do political work. I do a lot of crisis work … But then I also really cut my teeth on crisis overseas, in the peace process.”
In 2023, Seigenthaler Pierce heard that the Consulate General of Ireland in Atlanta, a branch of the Embassy of Ireland in D.C., was looking to establish an honorary consul in Nashville, Tenn. She applied and was appointed in March 2024.
“It was a competitive process, and there were a lot of great people who were up for it,” Seigenthaler Pierce said. “I think that my sort of mix of, my sort of being really embedded in Nashville and Tennessee, as well as having this experience already in diplomatic service, was attractive to the Irish government consulate.”
Deana Ivey, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp, said Seigenthaler Pierce’s experience and personality made her a great fit for the role.
“She is an outstanding communicator,” she said. “She’s a great connector of people. She understands the cultures of both Tennessee and Ireland, and she understands what makes for a great synergy between the two. She loves both of the communities equally.”
Since her appointment in March, Seigenthaler Pierce has connected with Irish leaders and immersed herself in Nashville’s Irish community.
“I’ve spent really the first six months getting to know Irish businesses here, Irish people here, and hearing what they’re already doing,” Seigenthaler Pierce said. “And a lot of people have been working for a lot of years in this area and have a lot more knowledge than I do. And so going out, I’m meeting with people every week who are connected to the Irish community to really get a sense of what they’re doing and what they need.”
One of the Irish leaders Seigenthaler Pierce works closely with is Conor Doolan, a co-founder and current president of the Irish Network Nashville. Doolan said Seigenthaler Pierce has already been very successful in her role.
“She’s got a very welcoming personality,” Doolan said. “She’s very enthusiastic about the role. She’s been very helpful with me and guiding and advising me with how to move forward with growing the parade and things like that.”
Doolan also said the presence of an honorary consul will positively impact the Irish and Irish-American community in the area.
“It’s important because—especially in the Southeast and particularly in Tennessee—there seems to be somewhat of an amnesia when it comes to Irish history, and the presence of Irish people in the state seems to be somewhat forgotten,” Doolan said. “It’s a big statement from the Irish government to have someone appointed [as Honorary Consul in Tennessee] for the first time ever.”
Seigenthaler Pierce also works with the city of Nashville to promote connections between the city, the state of Tennessee, and Ireland.
“What she’s doing in her consulate role actually affects tourism and is really good for tourism,” Ivey said.
One of the projects surrounding tourism that Seigenthaler Pierce spearheaded is a new, nonstop flight on Aer Lingus between Dublin and Nashville, beginning in April 2025.
“[The flight] is great for tourism because we can bring more visitors in,” Ivey said. “She’s been instrumental in helping us get this flight and then also in bringing the minister for tourism from Ireland to Nashville so we could meet and make that connection and collaborate together.”
Moving forward, Seigenthaler Pierce hopes to continue strengthening ties between Ireland and Nashville culturally, professionally, and beyond. As someone from an Irish-American family who grew up in Nashville and had the opportunity to live and work in Ireland, Seigenthaler Pierce said she feels grateful and excited for her future as Ireland’s first honorary consul in Tennessee.
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