# Eligible for Irish citizenship with father born before Dec 1922 in Northern Ireland?



## rissy (Feb 24, 2012)

My father was born in Northern Ireland before 6 December 1922. I was born outside the island of Ireland. My father never made a declaration of his Irish citizenship. He held the UK passport and then became US citizen before I was born. Can I apply for Irish citizenship on the grounds of my ancestry (or other)? Can my children apply?
Any help is highly appreciate. Thank you.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

I would contact the Irish Embassy nearest to you. They will be able to answer your question.


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## jlms (May 15, 2008)

http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=267

Based on that it would seem you can't claim Irish Citizenship since your dad never held that nationality (and here I declare my ignorance about all nuances of Irish politics), although you may be able to claim UK's...


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## siobhanwf (Mar 20, 2009)

jlms said:


> http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=267
> 
> Based on that it would seem you can't claim Irish Citizenship since your dad never held that nationality (and here I declare my ignorance about all nuances of Irish politics), although you may be able to claim UK's...




Anyone born in Ireland north or south before 1922 was born IRISH. 
Born in Ireland before 1948 you are entitled also to hold dual nationality. 

*Documents relating to the GRANDPARENT BORN IN IRELAND from whom citizenship is claimed:*
THE DFA WEBSITE STATES: _Full civil birth certificate if born after 1864, otherwise a baptismal certificate; together with proof that no civil registration exists;
Civil marriage certificate (if applicable);
Copy of current passport or identity document, if alive, or death certificate;_


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

jlms said:


> http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=267
> 
> Based on that it would seem you can't claim Irish Citizenship since your dad never held that nationality (and here I declare my ignorance about all nuances of Irish politics), although you may be able to claim UK's...


I don't claim to be an expert on Irish citizenship. It is a complicated area, and a slight variation in personal circumstances can make a difference. There have been several changes, in 1930s, 1950s, 1980s and more recently after the Good Friday Agreement, and it's dangerous and highly irresponsible for anyone to speculate on another's status. There is a dedicated website, based in US, that can answer questions on nationality, but the best advice is to contact the nearest Irish consulate - they are used to answering citizenship questions because of the large number of the Irish diaspora living in English-speaking countries.

As for British citizenship, if the OP was born before 1st January 1983, provided the parents were married to each other, then the OP is likely to be British, notwithstanding the fact the father gave up his British citizenship before the OP was born.


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