Smart travel preparation and advice

Teacher instruction: The following information can be provided to students as context for the lesson activities ahead. The paragraphs below provide a brief introduction to the consular work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and provides real-life examples of what this work can involve.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is a department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for promoting the interests of Ireland in the European Union and the wider world.

This includes supporting Irish citizens abroad if they experience difficulty in a foreign country for any number of reasons such as being the victim of a crime, hospitalisation, or the death of a loved one. This aspect of the department’s work is called consular assistance. The scope of this work is outlined on ireland.ie/travelwise and in Ireland’s Consular Strategy which was published in 2023.

The range of cases the Department deals with varies from traditional cases such as lost passports, to newer types of categories such as medical tourism (travel abroad each year for the purpose of medical services, including surgical, dental and cosmetic procedures). It also helps Irish citizens in times of crisis.

Students may be interested to know that Ireland has over 100 diplomatic missions around the world – 20 of these are consulates (as of May 2024). Embassies are led by Ambassadors and are located in the capitals of the host state where they work directly with a country’s government departments and authorities.

Consulates differ from Embassies as they are not based in state capitals. They are led by Consul-Generals and deal mainly with consular issues and local authorities.

For example, the Embassy of Ireland in Great Britain is located in London, though there are consulates in Manchester, Cardiff, and Edinburgh. In France, Ireland is represented by its Embassy in Paris but also has a consulate in Lyon. Every country where Ireland is represented has an Embassy but not every country has an Irish consulate.

View a map of all of Ireland’s embassies and consulates below:

New Caledonia is a French territory made up of many islands and is located in the South Pacific.

When political unrest broke out in May 2024, Ireland’s embassies in Paris, Sydney, and Wellington worked together to help Irish citizens evacuate.