They are a select group of people who wine and dine for Ireland. And this weekend in locations such as Newfoundland, San Paulo and Reykjavik many of those appointed as honorary consuls of the Irish Republic will be celebrating the national feast day.

The State is represented abroad by more than 40 full-time diplomatic missions. However, the work of these embassies is supplemented by another 40 consulates headed up by honorary appointees.

Generally, the honorary consuls are local business people. In many cases they have an ancestral family link to the Republic. People such as Romulo O'Farrill jnr in Mexico or Pedro Pablo Marrero Henning in Malaga are not familiar names, although better known is probably the honorary consul in Monaco, Michael W.J. Smurfit.

The criteria governing the appointment of an honorary consul is determined by the Department of Foreign Affairs. It includes the number of Irish citizens living in or visiting an area along with the potential for developing economic relations with the country or area concerned.

The appointment of a "suitable person" is made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, subject to the approval of the authorities of the relevant country. However, the determination of what makes someone a "suitable person" to represent the Irish Republic is unclear.

When a vacancy becomes available, representations are generally made to Iveagh House with a senior diplomat from Foreign Affairs then conducting interviews with applicants and the Minister ultimately deciding.

Documents released to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act indicate that the "persons appointed as honorary consuls are usually Irish citizens or nationals of the country concerned". They are "generally professional business people who are well established in the country and have good contacts in the business and political fields and in the government administration".

The post is an honorary one. It is temporary, and although limited to a three-year term can be extended by mutual agreement between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the holder of the position.

There is no salary and no pension entitlement. An honorarium of £500 is paid every year, while an amount equating to half of the consular fees collected every six months is paid subject to a maximum payment of £100 for any single fee. These fees are generated through the issuing of visas and passports along with processing of trade documentation.

In return for these fees honorary consuls are expected to provide a range of services including issuing emergency passports, providing assistance to victims of serious accidents and assisting in connection with deaths abroad and the return of remains to Ireland.

Some honorary consuls can find themselves involved in providing assistance in cases of disputed custody of children as well as visiting Irish people imprisoned abroad.

They also - as the annual reports sent by the honorary consuls to the Department of Foreign Affairs indicate - enjoy an active involvement in the social gatherings of their local Irish community. The honorary consul in Perth "attended functions all over the state of Western Australia" in 1999 as well as issuing 500 passports and visiting 13 people arrested for various matters.

Many honorary consuls have the pleasure of attending meetings of the local Rose of Tralee festival and the annual dinner of the local Mary of Dungloe organising committee.

When a new honorary consul is appointed, the State provides an escutcheon and two Tricolours along with consulate rubber stamps, headed notepaper and "directories and other reference and information material about Ireland".

The Tricolours supplied by the State are thus flown across the globe. But then the cost is borne by the Irish Exchequer. The documents released to The Irish Times note "a reasonable sum may be charged in the official accounts to cover the cost of providing and erecting a flagstaff".

The honorary consuls are expected to have "fairly centrally located offices of appropriate size and furnishings with an identifiable area solely for use as a consulate". They are expected to provide, at their own expense, facilities such as secretarial services and a safe.

Based in Houston, John B. Kane is honorary consul for the US states of Colorado and Texas. He observes "all secretarial, office and entertainment expenses are paid by me personally. All travel expenses - air, hotels and meals - are also absorbed by me."

WHILE the annual fee, or honorarium, comes to only £500 per consul, certain expenses incurred on consulate business can be charged to the Department of Foreign Affairs in accounts which are sent back to Dublin every May and September.

From the 40 consuls, which have to the end of February furnished accounts for 1999, the cost to the Exchequer was £133,585 for outlays such as travel, postage, and communications charges. Most consuls also have an annual subscription to The Irish Times.

By far the biggest spender was the honorary consul in Karachi at just over £50,000 in 1999. With some £7,000 on travel, £10,000 on stationery and £13,000 on postage and telephone, the consul in Karachi dominated the cost of all consuls last year.

Many of the consuls with few outlays are those with smaller Irish communities or insignificant trade flows. For example, with an Irish community of some 450 people, the consul in San Paulo ran up expenses of only £984 last year.

For the majority of consulates the fees generated from processing passports and the charges for approving trade documentation are small material compensation for the obligations involved.

However, there is the not to be underestimated status bestowed by having business cards and headed notepaper which bear the title of honorary consul of the Government of the Republic of Ireland.