Judgment reserved on citizenship ruling appeal as judges consider 'continuous residence' interpretation

The Minister for Justice has asked the Court of Appeal (COA) to overturn a “very restrictive” High Court finding, saying it means, with “very, very few exceptions”, nobody qualifies for Irish citizenship.

Sara Moorhead SC, for the Minister, urged the three-judge court to overturn last May’s finding by Mr Justice Max Barrett that the relevant law means citizenship applicants must have "unbroken" residence here in the year prior to their application.