Hackett is Greece bound

More than 30 Ministers will cross the globe to attend St Patrick's Day festivities next month, including Offaly's Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who is heading for Greece.

While most trips tend to come with a long list of engagements aimed at promoting Irish business and diplomacy, many will be surprised at the scale of the exodus in 2022 which has been curtailed almost completely for the last two years.

Thirty-two out of 35 senior and junior ministers, and the Attorney General will leave the country over the St Patrick's Day period.

The Taoiseach travel to London and Washington DC, while his number two Tánaiste Leo Varadkar who will stopover in Colombia and Chile in South America.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe will visit The Netherlands and London, while Minister Michael McGrath is off to San Francisco and Vancouver, Canada.

Ministers of State Hildegarde Naughton will travel long haul to Austalia and New Zealand, with Westmeath's Junior Minister Robert Troy heading for India, and Laois's Sean Fleming will attend events in the North of England and Scotland.