Benedict promoted Brown to an Archbishop and moved him out to Ireland as nuncio. just before he resigned; in 2012. Brown had been at Benedict's right hand for approx 10 years. He packed Benedict's template for selecting new episcopal appointments; who did not "smell of sheep".  Maybe now we will get a "Francis-man" as nuncio. There has been no official appointment. The new man will have a key responsibility in 2018; when Pope Francis visits Ireland for the World Family Conference. Because of that, I would expect somebody with very broad shoulders. 

Ireland was a safe first outing for JP2 in 1979. 2M people attended his mass in Phoenix Park Dublin. We had no papal visit since. We did have 10 years of Judicial Reviews related to clerical paedophelia and episcopal cover-up of same. In the meantime the credibility of the bishops and the Vatican hit zero. I always add that Archbishop Diarmuid Martin Of Dublin, is the one exception. Francis will find a very different Irish church to JP2.