Sarah Kavanagh took up her post as Consul General of Ireland in Miami in October 2022 and is leading the establishment of Ireland’s first Consulate General in Florida. The Consulate has responsibility for Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Its role is to foster closer economic, political and cultural and diaspora links and to provide consular services to Irish citizens.

Ms. Kavanagh previously served as Deputy Director of the Human Rights Unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin. Prior to joining the diplomatic service in 2020, Ms. Kavanagh served as Special Adviser to the Minister for Justice and Equality (2017-2020) and Special Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (2014-2017).  She also served for a brief period as a ministerial Special Adviser in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. From 2005-2014, she worked in the Houses of the Oireachtas (Parliament of Ireland) in a range of policy, strategy development and political communication roles.

Ms. Kavanagh is originally from Galmoy, Co. Kilkenny in the southeast of Ireland.  A lawyer by training, she holds a Barrister-at-Law Degree (2012) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Studies (2010) from the Honorable Society of King’s Inns, Dublin.  She also holds Masters Degrees in Political Communication (Dublin City University, 2017) and Politics (University College Dublin, 2021) and a BA Degree in History and Politics (University College Dublin 2020).