Irish Passport Applications From Britain Are Soaring

Following the UK's referendum vote to leave the EU, many Remain voters scrambled to grasp hold of the Irish branches of their family trees, obtain Irish passports and remain in the EU. This resulted in a surge in demand for Irish passports from Britain in the months since. According to RTE, some studies estimate that six million British citizens could be eligible for dual citizenship.

In the three months following the referendum, applications for Irish passports from people in England, Scotland and Wales almost doubled according to data released by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs. In the three months from July to September, 21,549 British residents applied for an Irish passport compared to 10,959 during the same period last year. Northern Ireland also saw its Irish passport applications rise to 15,757 compared to 9,401 last year.