merrion street

Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore today launched the “Holiday Survival Guide”, published by

in consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Tánaiste described the Guide as…

…another helpful way of highlighting the consular services that my Department provides to Irish citizens travelling overseas.  It is also another opportunity to alert people to exercise caution and to take personal responsibility for their actions while holidaying overseas.

 The bulk of visits or holidays abroad are incident free, but unfortunately, things can go wrong as my Department is aware from the upsurge in requests for consular assistance over the last number of years.

The Minister advised travellers to consult information available on the Department of Foreign Affairs’ website

regarding the country in question. He also encouraged those planning trips abroad to register online with the Department…

The travel registration system is intended for use by people travelling on holidays, and also for business travellers and Irish citizens resident abroad.  The advantage of registering is that if there is a major crisis abroad, the Department already has a record of your details, so we can contact you as soon as possible.  This allows us to locate you and, if necessary, offer assistance and to reassure your family in Ireland that you are safe.  While we encourage everyone to register, the facility is particularly useful for people travelling to remote locations or areas where they may be at risk. Within the last month, the Department has used the system to confirm the safety of Irish citizens in locations as far flung as Burma and Ivory Coast. 

The Tánaiste warned against the dangers of excessive comsumption of alcohol…

I would encourage Irish citizens to respect local laws and customs, to avoid excessive consumption of alcohol and to be aware that the use of drugs can and does result in death—at the very least, purchase or possession of drugs can result in arrest and long terms in imprisonment, sometimes in  dangerous locations in distant countries.

In conclusion, the Minister encouraged citizens to make use of the new guide.