Trade and promoting Ireland
Ireland’s economic renewal is central to our work, both at home and throughout our extensive Embassy network.
Ireland’s economic renewal is central to our work, both at home and throughout our extensive Embassy network.
We are committed to promoting Ireland as a destination for business, investment, tourism and education, to enhancing our economic reputation overseas, and to showcasing our unique cultural heritage.
Promoting Ireland
Our aims
We are committed to promoting Ireland as a place to do business, to study and visit – and to defending Irish interests and promoting our values.
Together with our Team Ireland partners (including the IDA, Enterprise Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Bord Bia), the Embassy network plays a key role in this work in locations around the world.
Ireland has a network of over 97 Embassies and Consulates. With support from the Department's headquarters, Embassies and Consulates work to:
- Build strong, bilateral partnerships with countries around the world: partnerships which are crucial for the pursuit of our trade and investment links
- Promote Ireland’s trade and investment objectives more broadly, alongside our Team Ireland partners
- Enhance Ireland’s profile and reputation, including through sharing key economic messaging
- Promote Irish culture and creative industries, and connection to Irish heritage and tradition
- Maintain and enhance our links with Irish communities abroad.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also works within key multilateral bodies, including the EU, UN and OECD, to ensure the rules-based international order, which is so essential to Ireland’s prosperity and well-being, is protected and developed.
The context for all of this work overseas, undertaken with Team Ireland partners, often within the framework of Local Market Teams, is the Global Ireland 2025 Strategy. This is an ambitious strategy for Ireland’s place in the world which promotes efforts to grow and diversify export markets, inward investment, and tourism.
Promoting Ireland through culture
Ireland’s global cultural presence – both historic and contemporary – is an asset out of all proportion to our size, and a distinctive national strength. The global impact of Irish culture is one of our greatest competitive advantages and a central means of connecting with new global audiences and publics as well as with the global Irish diaspora.
The Department’s Culture Unit leads on Ireland’s cultural diplomacy worldwide, working closely with the Department of Culture (including Culture Ireland) and other partners, in the delivery of the ambitious cultural objectives of the Government’s Global Ireland 2025 strategy.
Cultural diplomacy is an important part of the work of our global network of Missions, which organise cultural initiatives and events to advance awareness, appreciation and understanding of Ireland, and support broader diplomatic objectives.
St Patrick’s Day and Bloomsday are key moments in the annual cultural calendar, while Brigid’s Day is a focus for celebrating women’s creativity. Our cultural diplomacy allows us to engage a much broader audience than traditional government-to-government contacts.
Local Market Teams
Local Market Teams were first introduced in the context of Government's Trade, Tourism and Investment Strategy 2010-2015. This established priority markets and brought Ireland's Embassies and State agencies together to drive collaboration, and ensure we are operating in the most effective way in promoting and defending Irish interests and values.
The Trade and Investment Strategy for 2022-2026, Value for Ireland, Values for the World, was launched by Government in April 2022. DFA is playing a key role in the implementation of its seven priority actions.
One of those actions is a review of the Local Market Team framework. The implementation of the recommendations of this review will mean that Team Ireland overseas will be best positioned to promote and defend Irish interests, in the context of changing trade flows, geopolitical challenges and the expansion of Ireland’s footprint under the Global Ireland 2025 Strategy.
Trade missions
Trade missions are a valuable way of developing new and existing markets overseas for Irish businesses. This is particularly important given the value of exports to our economy.
We work with a number of Government Departments, including the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to support a programme of trade missions.
Each year, DFA also supports a full programme of incoming and outgoing high level political visits with strong economic, trade and promotional elements.
Doing business in Ireland
Through our Embassy network and State agencies, Ireland offers a full range of supports to businesses, both at home and abroad.
So whether you’re interested in investing in Ireland, building overseas opportunities, or coming to visit, we have the right expertise to guide you.
How we can help
At the Department Foreign Affairs, our staff and Embassy network work closely with Irish State agencies to promote trade, tourism and inward investment. We can:
- Support Irish companies who want to find and access new markets and help with resolving commercial difficulties where possible
- Provide general advice on doing business locally and, through our network of contacts, pursue export and investment opportunities that will benefit Ireland
- Work to secure market access for Irish products in key sectors in high-growth and emerging markets.
Working with State agencies
Working with the right expertise in relevant state agencies is part of our successful strategy.
Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland is the government organisation responsible for developing and growing Irish enterprises in world markets. It has a network of nine regional offices throughout Ireland and over 30 international locations.
IDA Ireland
Ireland’s inward investment promotion agency, IDA Ireland is responsible for attracting and developing foreign investment. IDA Ireland has more than 20 international offices.
Bord Bia
The Irish Food Board, known as Bord Bia, acts as a link between Irish food, drink and horticulture suppliers and existing and potential customers throughout the world. Bord Bia has a network of 14 overseas offices.
Tourism Ireland
Tourism Ireland markets the island of Ireland as a holiday destination overseas. It devises and implements world-class marketing programmes and provides industry partners with opportunities to market their own products and services alongside Tourism Ireland overseas.
Science Foundation Ireland
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) invests in academic research that is most likely to generate new knowledge, leading-edge technologies and competitive enterprises in science and engineering. As well as promoting Ireland’s achievements around the world, SFI supports co-operation between education, government, and industry.