The 44 year-old political advisor worked in the destitute Caribbean nation for two years prior to the epic earthquake that took his and the lives of more than a hundred thousand people last week.
Grene, a dual national, was born in Chicago, but was raised in County Cavan and is married to County Down native Jennifer. The couple have three children.
Andrew's twin brother, Gregory Grene, is a well known musician in the New York based Celtic Rock group, the Prodigals. Greogry confirmed the death of his brother, to the Echo on Tuesday.
The Grene family lives in Hicksville on Long Island. Their eldest two sons Patrick (21) and Alexander (19) both attend their father's alma mater, the University of Chicago. The youngest, Rosamund, is 14 years old.
Alex spoke to the Echo in the days after the earthquake of the family's fervent wish that their father would be pulled alive from the rubble. They waited and tried not to despair as days passed with no news of their father and husband.
"You always entertain the hard mental questions," said Alex earnestly, and with unbelievable poise, in the face of such trauma.
"Many possibilities cross our minds, but we just hope he will be found," she said before the saddest of news reached the family from the stricken island.
"We know he was on the top floor of the UN building when it collapsed," Alex added.
Others in that same meeting included the chief of the UN Mission in Haiti, Mr. Hedi Annabi, and a delegation from China. The body of Mr. Annabi was recovered earlier in the week.
The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Miche
