My Quest for Irish Citizenship (1)

One of the ideas some colleagues and I have always kicked around is expanding our training offerings into Europe. Not that Europeans don't have good computer trainers already, mind you, but I'm not bad at this. Besides, setting up shop in the EU makes sense for moving into India and other countries in Asia. The biggest complication we had with this idea was that we're Americans. The European Community has opened up borders inside the EU, but there are still a lot of restrictions and complications with EU-based companies hiring non-EU citizens to work there. Being Americans, we are considered outsiders.

Or are we? I mentioned this big-picture plan to an Irish friend one time, and she explained to me how the Republic of Ireland recognizes the grandchildren of people born in Ireland as citizens. As an Irish citizen, I would be able to apply for an Irish passport, allowing me to move and work more freely in the EU. It looks like there are some immediate opportunities for me to teach in the EU, but it looks like those opportunities would be better if I was a European.

Like an Irishman.

Geek that I am, I started with Teh Google to figure out where to begin. In a couple of clicks, I was reading about eligibility for Irish citizenship on the Embassy of Ireland website. A quick scan of the requirements confirmed what my friend told me, I'm eligible to be Irish through my paternal grandfather, who was born in Sligo. Now, I have to document that and apply for citizenship.

Documentation required is as follows:

Documents relating to the APPLICANT:

* Full civil birth certificate (including details of parents);
* Civil marriage certificate (if applicable);
* Copy of current passport or identity document;
* Two photographs of applicant (signed and dated by the witness from Section E on application form);
* Copy of Identification (If a child does not hold a current passport then a school report or letter from the school will suffice);
* Proof of Address;
* Application form completed in full;
* Appropriate fee.

OK, all of this is no problem. Birth certificate, don't need marriage documentation (not claiming this through wife), passport copy. Proof of address is like the light bill. And the fee, of course.

Documents relating to the PARENT (through whom citizenship is claimed):
(These certificates MUST be included)

* Full civil birth certificate (including details of parents);
* Civil marriage certificate (if applicable);
* Copy of current passport or identity document, if alive, or death certificate;
* If application relates to a minor, parent must supply proof of address;
* If parent has been naturalized or obtained foreign birth registration, original certificates must accompany the application.

This gets tricky. My dad's birth and death certificates were lost in the storm. The death certificate was easy to track down, since he passed away here in Louisiana. One quick text message to the lovely Nola Notes, Esq., informed me that vital records for Louisiana are all on a state website now. (It helps having a friend who is an attorney that does lots of estate/succession work.) That website will link one to an on-line ordering process that wasn't too painful.

Birth certificate for Daddy: More problematic. The City of New York uses the same on-line company that Louisiana does. Problem is that birth certificates are common tools in the identity theft business, so it's more difficult to order one. You have to be ordering your own birth certificate or one for a child to do it online. This means I'll have to ring the NYC Health Department and explain things.


Documents relating to the GRANDPARENT BORN IN IRELAND from whom citizenship is claimed:

* 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;

OK, this is much easier, since Grandpa is long gone. I can request a copy of his birth certificate on-line from the Irish government. He passed here in New Orleans, so death certificate can be ordered from the same source as daddy's.

Once I have these documents, I can complete the citizenship form and submit it. When that's approved, I can apply for an Irish passport.

Since this process is going to involve some family history research, I'll be posting regular updates.