2010 sees increase in numbers gaining Irish citizenship

IRELAND may be mired in recession and thousands of people have emigrated but the number of other people obtaining Irish citizenship has actually increased, according to new figures.

Statistics provided by the Department of Justice show that up to December 7, 2010,approximately 6,300 people had obtained Irish citizenship through naturalisation — higher than levels in 2009.

A spokesperson for the department said that the numbers of people withdrawing from the naturalisation process this year was “negligible”.

“The 2010 volume of applications for naturalisation is expected to be broadly comparable to 2009,” she said.

“There are negligible withdrawals any year and in the main, people simply slow down their responses to us. These have no effect on overall numbers.”

In addition to the number of people becoming Irish citizens, there is also evidence that the diaspora internationally is growing.

For example, the Health Service Executive has revealed that there has been a surge in the number of people based overseas accessing their Irish birth certificates on the HSE’s certificates.ie website.

One possible explanation is the number of Irish emigrants seeking employment who need up-to-date identification documents if starting a new job or undergoing a medical.

The website is also expecting a growth in demand in the new year with the onset of the new Civil Partnership legislation.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs has said that work is continuing on a new ‘Certificate of Irishness’ scheme, which was first mooted at the Farmleigh Economic Forum in Dublin in September last year.

Earlier this year the Government put the operation of the scheme to public tender and a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said negotiations are ongoing and while a contract has not been awarded a decision is expected soon.

In December Tourism Ireland launched ‘My Irish 140’ on social network site Twitter, with the aim of encouraging people with Irish ancestry, and those who feel a connection with the county, to explore that connection online. The site myirish140.com will highlight some of the entries.