Ed Joyce has been appointed as the permanent head coach of Ireland's women's cricket team on a two-year contract.
Cricket Ireland initially appointed Joyce in an interim capacity in June, with the 40-year-old at the helm for the recent ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier.
Ireland missed out on qualification for the finals in Australia, finishing third behind Bangladesh and Thailand.
The 40-year-old has been involved in the coaching Ireland’s men’s, women’s and performance pathway teams since he announced his international retirement last year.
Speaking at Malahide Cricket Club, Joyce said: "It’s a great time to have been offered this opportunity and I had no hesitation in accepting the role full-time.
"The part-time contracts introduced this year, the rise in profile of women’s cricket and women’s sport in general, and the investment in facilities and support structures around the senior team all point to a commitment from Cricket Ireland to grow the game and lift our standards to compete on the world stage.
"While we were all obviously disappointed to have missed out on qualification for the T20 World Cup, what impressed me about the squad was the players’ commitment to learn and the talent that began to emerge as the games came along.
"It wasn’t just the senior players that stood up, but a number of the newer players to the senior team showed what they can offer."
Cricket Ireland’s performance director Richard Holdsworth believes the organisation will reap major rewards from the appointment, saying: "We are delighted that Ed has accepted the role on a permanent basis.
"When he took on the interim head coach role three months ago, I said it was great to have such a world-class cricketer and budding international coach available to call upon.
"That applies just as much now and we had no hesitation in offering him the opportunity."
