Vulnerability assessment is a key aspect of anchoring the potential impacts of climate change to present development planning. In developing a national climate change strategy for Ireland, an assessment of vulnerability at an early stage is essential in order to inform subsequent stages of the process. The key goal of this assessment is to identify first generation vulnerabilities for Ireland based on a sensitivity analysis across the key sectors. Strengthened by input from stakeholders with considerable expertise across the sectors, the results characterise the most vulnerable sectors ahead of a fuller climate change risk assessment which can inform subsequent adaptation options. The assessment also recognises the shift in emphasis away from better defining exposure and potential impacts to a better understanding of the factors that affect societies’ and systems’ sensitivity to those impacts and their capacity to adapt. This reflects the increasing recognition of the importance of considering social vulnerability alongside biophysical vulnerability. In essence this is a reflection of the shift in conceptual thinking away from a top-down scenario and impacts first approach to a bottom-up vulnerability and thresholds-first approach.