Fáilte ón Ard-Chonsal/Welcome from the Consul General
Welcome to the website of the Consulate General of Ireland in Vancouver.
The Consulate was established in 2018 under the Global Ireland initiative to represent Ireland in British Columbia in recognition of the strong historical links between Western Canada and Ireland. In 2022, the remit of the Consulate expanded to include Alberta, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.
Building on the work of the Irish Embassy in Ottawa and the first Consul General in Vancouver, the Consulate will work to promote and protect Irish community interests in Western Canada by:
- Providing high quality consular services and support for the Irish diaspora
- Promoting a greater awareness of Ireland, our arts and culture in Western Canada
- Facilitating the promotion of Ireland’s economic interests through our support of the Irish state agencies
- Further strengthening the strong bilateral relations between Canada and Ireland.
This website contains lots of information on the work of the Consulate and our colleagues in Embassy Ottawa, and the Irish State Agencies working in Canada, which I hope you will find useful.
I look forward to meeting many members of the Irish Community & Friends of Ireland during my time as Consul General. I would very much welcome your ideas for potential collaboration so please do not hesitate to get in touch via this website. You can follow me on Twitter @IrlCGVancouver.
Please be sure to follow the Consulate on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and sign up to our newsletter for the latest news and events.
Le gach dea-ghuí/With best wishes,
Cathy Geagan
Ard-Chonsal/Consul General
Biography
Cathy Geagan was appointed as Ireland’s first Consul General to Western Canada in August 2022.
Cathy previously served as Deputy Director of the Culture Unit at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin, working on cultural diplomacy and the enrichment of cultural programming across Ireland’s Mission network. Prior to that, Cathy was the Assistant Director for Ireland’s participation at Expo 2020 Dubai, and worked in the Department’s Asia Pacific section, focusing on South Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Before joining the foreign service, she worked extensively on the promotion of peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland through North-South Programmes, and on EU Cohesion Funding. Previously Cathy worked in a number of international NGOs with a strong focus on philanthropy, partnerships, and fundraising from trusts and institutions.
Cathy holds a BA in English Literature and Sociology from Maynooth University, an MA in African-American Literature and Film from University College Cork, and is a qualified project manager. She is accompanied on posting by her husband Marc.
From her base in Vancouver, Cathy and the Consulate team are working to promote Ireland and Irish culture, heritage and interests in British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon and the Northwest Territories; to provide services to Irish citizens in the region, and to further strengthen the links between Ireland and Western Canada.