Consular Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 December 2022

Tuesday, 6 December 2022

Questions (259)

Alan Kelly

Question:

259. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the dates in 2022 on which the Irish Consul General and-or Vice Consul General in Atlanta visited Miami; and the purpose of each visit in tabular form. [60393/22]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs

The team at the Consulate General of Ireland in Atlanta, currently responsible for seven states in the US Southeast, paid two visits to Miami in 2022, both connected with preparations for the opening of Ireland’s new Consulate General in Miami. The dates and purposes of each visit are listed in tabular form below.

The establishment of the Consulate General in Miami was a key commitment under the Global Ireland programme, which aims to double the scope and impact of Ireland’s global footprint by 2025. Our Consul General in Miami took up duty in October 2022, taking over responsibility for Florida on a phased basis from Consul General Atlanta. Once fully established, the Consulate General in Miami will also take over responsibility for Alabama and Mississippi.

With the opening of the new Consulate General in Miami, Ireland now has a full-time diplomatic presence in the third most populous state in the United States, which has the fourth largest economy and acts as a major bridge between the USA and the Latin America and Caribbean region. The opening of this important new office, brings Ireland's diplomatic network in the US to nine which includes the Embassy in Washington DC and Consulates in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta.

Date	Representative	Visit Purpose
February 2022	Consul General	Visit of Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States to prepare for the opening of the Consulate General in Miami.
July 2022	Consul General (17-20 July) and Vice Consul (17 July)	To host an animation networking event promoting Ireland’s children’s entertainment industry during the Kidscreen Summit, one of the most important annual events for that industry. The Consul General’s programme also included the identification of office properties for the new Consulate in Miami ahead of its opening in Q4 2022.