Last year saw the highest number of deaths of Irish citizens overseas reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
More than 20 per cent of consular cases it handled involved a death of an Irish citizen overseas, figures for 2025 show.
In a report issued on Friday the DFA said it provided assistance in 1,981 new cases over the year as well as some long-standing issues it had been involved in.
It said the new cases included missing persons, serious injuries, arrests, mental health issues and victims of crime as well as deaths abroad.
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The DFA recorded a 48 per cent increase in prisoner cases and a rise of 13 per cent in the number of citizens presenting with issues relating to mental health and wellbeing.
But the data contained in the report does not include the ongoing response to assist Irish citizens caught up in the series of crises in the Middle East.
In 2025, the department also responded to several global crises, including those provoked by conflict, political instability and extreme weather.
It continued to undertake evacuations from Gaza as well as offering support to a number of citizens who wanted to leave Iran and Israel.
The number of cases in which it was involved increased for the fourth consecutive year, Helen McEntee said.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs said her department’s role was made up of several components, including offering “timely and compassionate advice to Irish citizens in challenging circumstances, publishing accurate travel advice for more than 200 countries and territories and responding to crises overseas”.
She said that in “addition to an overall increase in case numbers, consular teams continue to provide assistance in a high number of long-running, complex cases. I am keenly aware that these cases are particularly challenging for our citizens and their families”.
Ms McEntee paid tribute to the staff in Irish embassies and consulates and to the team in the department’s Dublin headquarters.
She said the DFA “continues to provide assistance to Irish citizens and dependents caught in crises overseas. I know that a small number of Irish citizens and dependents remain in Gaza; and my department, through our missions in the region, continues to advocate on behalf of those that have not yet been able to leave”.
Ms McEntee also expressed gratitude to partners including the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas, Crosscare, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and Safe Home Ireland.
She said these “continue to provide invaluable work in supporting citizens and their families who experience difficult and, in some cases, tragic situations overseas”.
