I'm as Irish as a Yorkshire Pudding
By Boingboing
@boiboing (13153)
Northampton, England
October 20, 2016 7:41am CST
Two weeks ago I applied for an Irish passport. Without realising it, I've been Irish all my life - technically speaking. My late father was born in Wexford and I qualify as Irish because of his place of birth. I've had 'Get an Irish passport' on my 'To do when I get round to it' for several years but it took the Brexit vote this summer to fire me into action. My country might be (half) full of people who don't want to be Europeans but I'm not one of them. If the UK has to leave, I don't have to go along with it.
Of course it matters more to me than to many people because I travel so much. If there's to be a long queue for Europeans and a short one for Brits, I'll pull out my GB passport. If it's the other way round, my Paddy Passport will come to the fore. For £70 for 10 years, it's worth it to me.
I've recently been approached about a couple of jobs in the Netherlands. I've decided not to go forward with that, but at least in future if it happens again, I can look at the opportunity with two passports in my hand which could be very useful.
I have had to swear an unofficial oath that I will NEVER put on a terrible Irish accent.
13 people like this
11 responses
@LadyDuck (458006)
• Switzerland
20 Oct 16
I like the Irish accent, it's funny 
. I am considering if to apply or not to apply for a Swiss passport. Now we are no more obliged to renounce to our Italian nationality. I have to check, the only sure thing I know that this will cost about 3,000 Swiss Francs, that is not cheap.
. I am considering if to apply or not to apply for a Swiss passport. Now we are no more obliged to renounce to our Italian nationality. I have to check, the only sure thing I know that this will cost about 3,000 Swiss Francs, that is not cheap.3 people like this
? It is horribly expensive.
Now you can understand why I am not sure I want to start the process.@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
20 Oct 16
My Irish passport is £70 plus the costs of getting my father's birth certificate and posting things off registered post. So a bit of a bargain really. It was never worth it before when everybody automatically had the rights to access the entire EU. Now it makes sense. Added to which, when I'm on a plane and the hijackers take over, nobody hates the Irish!
3 people like this
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
20 Oct 16
I always have two active passports - one can be used if the other is off applying for visas. So this time I applied for my 'spare' to be Irish and didn't renew my second British passport. If I wait for Brexit to progress, it will take even longer to get through the process - and I have to get in before all the American Irish panic about Donald Trump and start applying.
3 people like this
@xFiacre (12595)
• Ireland
20 Oct 16
@boiboing Welcome. An Irish passport was viewed with suspicion when I used to travel in the 70s in Europe, especially when crossing the Irish Sea, but also farther afield. Nobody seemed to know about Ireland then and are still confused by our odd north-south arrangements.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
20 Oct 16
Back in the 70s a small but dangerous subsection of your countrymen weren't coming to the UK for tourism. It was another word that starts with T and ends with rism that was on their minds. Thus I guess they authorities were a little wary.
1 person likes this
@MALUSE (69413)
• Germany
18 Apr 17
I obviously overlooked this post. Good for you to have two passports for your travels.
I also have two nationalities. I discovered this by chance. By marrying an Italian I automatically became an Italian citizen. Once my husband had to do something concerning a flat in an Italian communal office. I accompanied him and learnt to my surprise that I was in the computer, too, as an Italian citizen.
I'm always reminded of the fact when I get a fat letter from the consulate before elections. I allow my husband to vote for me as I'm not informed enough about Italian politics to make a wise decision.
I have no Italian passport, though, because I don't need one.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
18 Apr 17
This is the main reason I never applied for the Irish passport until Brexit made me rethink it. It wouldn't have given me anything I didn't already have.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
20 Oct 16
No he's was a proper born and bred Irishman. You can get a second British passport if you submit a letter from your employers explaining why you need it. It's not so crucial for me now that India has introduced an e-visa system that means I don't have to submit my passport whilst I wait for it to be issued but in the past I couldn't continue travelling for work if I wasn't sure to have access to my passport. I'm quite excited that the Irish passport comes with the option of an ID card which is what most Europeans use for most of their travel.
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
20 Oct 16
I have irish blood from my mum's side of the family
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
21 Oct 16
I have thought about trying to get a Canadian passport since my mother was born there and my husband's father was born in Portugal. My grandmother was born in England so that might even be enough. These days having an American passport is like putting a target on our back. Unfortunately, even though I am 50% Irish it is my great great grandparents who came to the US.
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
20 Oct 16
oh how sad, I love terrible Irish accents! lol
@RasmaSandra (73408)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
20 Oct 16
Great thinking. I have a Latvian passport and a US passport.
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
20 Oct 16
It's interesting to have dual citizenship. I'm quite Irish myself, more than we suspected after doing the DNA test. However not eligible for citizenship!
