Dublin consular centre to aid those stranded abroad

THE DEPARTMENT of Foreign Affairs has opened a consular crisis centre in Dublin to assist people stranded abroad due to the volcanic ash plume.

Irish embassies and consulates are reporting increased inquiries from Irish citizens stranded overseas, and this is expected to increase in the coming days, the Government task force on emergency planning said yesterday.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said the consular crisis centre would help those in difficulty, but asked that it should only be accessed by those “in genuine need”.

It can be contacted on 01 4082999 and will remain open all week.

“The department will be able to provide information and reassurance, but cannot organise individual travel arrangements,” Mr Martin said.

He said he was “deeply conscious” of the plight of the many thousands of Irish citizens who had found themselves unable to return home because of flight restrictions, and the situation was unlikely to change in the immediate future.

“While I understand that the bulk of Irish citizens are coping with the situation, there are cases of individual hardship,” he said.

“For those with genuine emergencies, such as a shortage of prescribed medical products etc, I would advise you to contact the local Irish Embassy, Consulate or Honorary Consulate, which will endeavour to assist you.

“If you are running out of funds you should ask a relative or friend to transfer money through the normal commercial companies. The local Irish mission can advise in this area.”

He said people with foreign visas due to expire soon should contact the local Irish mission or their travel agent for advice.

Mr Martin also stressed the importance of keeping in contact with tour operators and airlines for updates.

“I would like to assure all those who find themselves stranded that the Government is acutely aware of their difficulties, and will keep the position under review,” said Mr Martin.

Meanwhile, yesterday’s Government task force press briefing heard concerns that the current Icelandic eruption might trigger an eruption of Iceland’s much larger Katla volcano, as had happened in the past.

Brian McConnell of the Geological Survey of Ireland said Katla was being monitored very closely by the Icelandic authorities because it is potentially a larger scale eruption, but there is no evidence of any activity on that volcano.

“It seems that the bigger one only goes off when the current one has subsided, but I must emphasise that we are dealing with a historical sample of only three eruptions.”

He said the first eruption occurred in the 10th century. “So it’s a bit hard to say that there’s a predictable pattern there.”