In a world that feels increasingly unpredictable, having options is no longer a luxury, it's a strategy. And for millions of people, one of the most powerful options available may be hiding in plain sight: an Irish passport.
Ireland has one of the most remarkable diasporas in the world. In the United States alone, an estimated 30 million people claim Irish ancestry, making the Irish the second largest ethnic group in the country, behind only the Germans. Millions more live across Canada, Australia, and beyond. And unlike many other countries with ancestry-based citizenship programs, Ireland's is still open, active, and, by global standards, quite efficient.
An Irish passport is consistently ranked among the most powerful in the world, and it carries a unique advantage that no other EU passport does: thanks to Ireland's Common Travel Area arrangement with the UK, an Irish passport holder has the right to live and work freely across all 27 EU member states and in the United Kingdom.
In today’s video episode, we sat down with Fiona Fitzsimons from the Irish Family History Centre at EPIC in Dublin — a team that has been helping people navigate Irish citizenship applications for nearly 30 years.
Here's what we covered:
- Who qualifies — The basic rule is straightforward: if you have at least one grandparent born anywhere on the island of Ireland (which includes both the Republic and Northern Ireland), you are likely entitled to apply.
- Dual citizenship is fully allowed — Ireland has never restricted dual nationality, so holding an Irish passport does not affect your current citizenship.
- The entire process can be done remotely — No trip to Ireland required. Applications are submitted online, documents can be sourced online, and the Irish Family History Centre can assist with everything from an initial eligibility check to obtaining the exact certified documentation the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland requires.
- Timeline — Currently the entire process from application submission to receiving your Irish passport is running between 9 months and 2 years, depending on the backlog.
- One important note on timing — If you are eligible and plan to have children, do not wait. Irish citizenship passes to children born after you hold it, but not before.
To sum it up, if you have any reason to believe you may have Irish roots, it is genuinely worth investigating. The eligibility check is quick, affordable, and carries no obligation. As Fiona put it: if you know what you're looking for, you'd be surprised how quickly the pieces come together.
In a world that feels increasingly unpredictable, having options is no longer a luxury, it’s a strategy. And for millions of people, one of the most powerful options available may be hiding in plain sight: an Irish passport. Ireland has one of the most remarkable diasporas in the world. In the United States alone, an…
