Britons clamour for Irish passports as Brexit looms

There has been a sharp rise in the number of British people applying for Irish passports because of fears of a Brexit. As the Dáil debated the potential crisis, the government has developed a strategy to deal with a British exit from the EU.

Last week, Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl travelled to London to visit the Irish embassy, which has seen a rise in the number of applications for passports, as the vote on June 23 approaches. The feeling is that, by having an Irish passport as well as a British one, people will not be disenfranchised by a vote to leave the EU. This is of particular concern for business people, sources have said.

Mr Ó Fearghaíl met Irish ambassador Dan Mulhall, whose team have seen a rise in workload on passport requests. Figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs show the number of British-born people applying for Irish passports on the basis of their ancestry rose sharply in the past year.