THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

maryb

My parents were both born in Ireland so I am automatically an Irish citizen, no need to claim it. My DDs have always wanted to get their Irish citizenship long before Brexit but I always balked at the cost - and that's before the passport fees. It has been a nice little earner for the Irish State. However we have now done it because I could see them changing the rules before too long. It used to be the case that DH could have claimed Irish citizenship based purely on marriage to me, no need even to set foot in Ireland. They have clamped down on that and we would have to be resident in Ireland for a period before he could claim it. So I thought we had better do it sooner rather than later for the girls as the papers have been reporting a huge upsurge in applications

However by getting their Irish citizenship before having children of their own the DDs can pass on citizenship by entering their children on the Register of Foreign Births. They still haven't actually got Irish passports but they could do so at any time they want so they have safeguarded their heritage

When I worked in the City there were large numbers of expat Aussies who were all there on Irish passports.

It was quite a complex paper trail. Both my maternal grandparents' birth certificates, their marriage certificate, but not their death certificates my mother's birth certificate (you only need one grandparent so we didn't need everything on my father's side). Then her marriage certificate to her first husband, his birth certificate then his death certificate, second marriage certificate second husband's birth certificate, his death certificate, my mother's death certificate, my birth certificate, my marriage certificate then finally the DD's birth certificates in long form, not the abbreviated form they give you when you register the birth

They also have stricter rules about who can witness the forms than apply to UK passports and only certain professions will do. That was an issue for us as we know lots of accountants but not many practising lawyers or doctors - the ones we do know are retired. Fortunately it could be someone who knew me rather than DD.

As you can imagine, it took a long time getting that lot together. After we sent the pack off, they held onto everything for over six months so I had to get copies of various certificates because I needed them to claim a pension.
So if anyone is thinking of doing this, start early especially if you don't have the full paper trail. I reckon it took the better part of a year, and as I say, that was without actually getting passports

maryb

After typing that little list I am now looking at the word certificate and thinking that looks wrong. Anyone else get that when you see the same word repeatedly?

Seriously, you need the full story of the relationship, no loose ends. I was quite surprised I didn't need my grandparents death certificates that was the only exception

Cappella

I don't think that MrC will be applying for Irish citizenship; although his maternal grandfather was Irish. It's fascinating though, neither of us ever realised it was a possibility. It's amazing what you learn on this thread.

Scrimps - you sound organised and well on with your prepping. I feel very behind hand at the moment. It's taking me longer to rethink and restock than I'd thought it would, but I'm beginning to feel a lot happier now that the pantries organised again.

I have three buckets full of tomatoes to process today, and three trays of slightly bruised apples. After that the freezer will be full. The good apples will keep, they are a very old baking variety called Lord Derby and store well right into January so I have been sorting them and laying them in apple boxes from the supermarket which will be stacked in the front bedroom. I wish we could still store them in the frost free shed on the plot but a recent spate of break ins and vandalism have made us reconsider this year.

maryb

I think there is only any point if it means you can pass on the right. By doing it before my DDs have children of their own, their children can claim citizenship and so on ad infinitum under current rules. If they already had children before establishing their citizenship it wouldn't pass down because I wasn't born in Ireland

Cappella

Maryb - that's another good point. And as we don't have, and are very unlikely now to have grandchildren, there would be little reason for us applying. I was just fascinated to realise that it was a possibility though. 😊

Karmacat

I think it sounds a great idea, just to keep options open.

Cappella - are you *sure* there would never be grandchildren? My business partner adopted a 5 year old when he (my partner ) was 55 years old. It happens ...

Cappella

I'm sure Karmacat I do have grand-dogs though. But don't think they'll need Irish passports somehow

ivyleaf

I think a lot of people have applied so that there's somewhere else they can go to live if they feel it necessary after Brexit.

My father was born in Ireland, but his father was in the British army, so that doesn't count
Maternal grandmother was born in the West of Ireland, and must have been Irish to judge by her own father's name, but the family moved to Hampshire later, and I've no idea whether Gran was still an Irish citizen when I was born; I would assume she was, but no idea how I could find out.
Her exact date of birth isn't known, so i expect she just had a Baptism cert instead. .

maryb

She would still be an Irish citizen, Ivyleaf. The forms we had to fill in said that baptism certificates were ok though there were some caveats I can't now remember. I was worried that they would pick up on the fact that my grandmothers name was spelled several different ways - but it looks as if that was fairly common in more rural parts - and it doesn't get much more rural than that part of Ireland

Karmacat

Cappella wrote: »

I'm sure Karmacat

Fair do!

I do have grand-dogs though. But don't think they'll need Irish passports somehow

Awww :j
As I come from Liverpool, you'd expect me to be very Irish, but the last full-blooded Irishwoman in my family was a great grandmother - and even she was actually born in England, the child of emigrants. Plus her father took American nationality