Senator Terry Leyden has urged people to consider applying for a British passport once the UK leaves the EU, adding that people should “not be ashamed” to apply if it meant easier access to the UK.
Senator Terry Leyden says that under UK Legislation people born in the Republic of Ireland before January 1949, with a parent born in Ireland before March 1922, are entitled to a British passport.
The Legislation in question is the United Kingdom’s “Ireland Act” of 1949, which came into force on 18 April 1949. It recognised the end of the Irish state’s status as a British dominion, which had been effected under the Irish Republic of Ireland Act 1948 and brought into force in 1949.
Section 5 of the 1949 “Ireland Act” conferred Citizenship of the UK and Colonies (CUKC) on any Irish-born person meeting all the following criteria:
– was born before 6 December 1922 in what became the Republic of Ireland;
– was domiciled outside the Republic of Ireland on 6 December 1922;
– was ordinarily resident outside the Republic of Ireland from 1935 to 1948; and
– was not registered as an Irish citizen under Irish legislation.
People who wish to apply for a passport can do so here.