The Irish government is shortly expected to announce that two new Irish consulates will be established in the U.S.

It is believed that Houston and Atlanta will be the two new locations, the first new diplomatic missions for Ireland for many decades.

Atlanta’s Irish community has been seeking Irish diplomatic representation for some time. The city has a large and thriving Irish American community, including a large Scots Irish population.

The diaspora strategy report prepared by Irish Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Collins has highlighted the lack of representation from the government throughout the south, and the new consulates are expected to fill that need.

Other locations that could be under consideration in the future include Los Angeles and Phoenix, as well as St. Louis.

The diaspora document is said to point out that Ireland is under-represented throughout the U.S. Foreign Minister Michael Martin is expected to address the issue during his trip here over the St. Patrick’s Day period.