Two consuls-general have been appointed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, to open missions in Edinburgh and Cardiff under the terms of the Belfast Agreement.
The press counsellor at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr Dan Mulhall, and the Minister's private secretary, Mr Conor O'Riordan, will take up their new postings next month.
It is the first time that Ireland has opened consulates in Britain.
The Government decision to open the consulates was taken earlier in the summer and follows agreement on the establishment of a British-Irish Council which will include representatives of the proposed Scottish and Welsh assemblies, which are due to be elected next May. It also reflects the devolving nature of politics in both regions.
Mr Mulhall has worked as press counsellor with three Ministers for Foreign Affairs over the past three years. The period covered the EU Presidency and the peace process. Prior to his present job, he was spokesman for the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation established by the then Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, in the aftermath of the IRA's 1994 ceasefire.
Before moving to the forum, Mr Mulhall worked with the permanent mission in Brussels and also in India and in Austria.
Mr O'Riordan has worked as consul-general in Boston and has also been stationed in Beijing and in Moscow.
Both diplomats are expected to open their consulates in mid-September and will have their own staffs.
In addition to representatives from the two governments and the Scottish and Welsh assemblies, the British-Irish Council, devised under Strand Three of the Belfast Agreement, will include members from the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. It will meet in different formats - twice a year at summit level and on a regular basis in "sectoral formats".