Kenny hopeful issue of undocumented Irish will be resolved

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has held out hope for 55,000 undocumented Irish living in the United States, telling representatives from Congress — where legislation on the issue has stalled — to “get on with it”.

In hard-hitting words to the speaker of the House, Republican John Boehner, Mr Kenny said the current law was “unfair” and that Irish people were “disproportionately” disadvantaged when it came to accessing US citizenship.

“They want to earn their money, they want to pay their taxes, they want to sing their national anthem,” he told a lunch on Capitol Hill, according to his spokesperson.