This article, first, examines the reasons underlying the rise in the Irish passport applications since Breixt in the Northern Ireland. Second, it explores why the Irish Passport Office couldn’t post passport to the Northern Ireland. Third, it examines why Strabane and Derry City Council had already called for the opening of an Irish Passport Office in the Northern Ireland.
Brexit vote turned the British trends for Irish passport grow
It is more than six years since the time that British voters were asked in a nationwide referendum: “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”
Then, on June 24, 2016 the Chief Counting Officer for the EU referendum, Jenny Watson, announced the official result.
“The total number of ballot papers counted was 33, 577, 342 votes. 48.1% of votes were cast in favor of remain and 51.9% of votes were cast in favor of leave. This means that the UK has voted to leave the European Union”.
But, since that time, the number of British-born People applying for Irish passport on the basis of their ancestry from Britain has been rising sharply. This, in particular, has been the case in the Northern Ireland, where anyone born north of the border is entitled to claim Irish citizenship.
Post Brexit rising demand for Irish passport marked a record in the Northern Ireland
Since Britain voted to leave the European Union in June 2016, many people in the Northern Ireland eager to retain their right to wok and travel freely in the EU sought citizenship in Ireland.
For sure, the majority of people who applied for Irish citizenship after the referendum didn’t want to live in Ireland. Rather, they had an instrumental approach to it and just wanted to guarantee their continued mobility rights within Europe.
Then, in 2020 for the first time, the number of Irish passports issued to people in Northern Ireland exceeded the number of issued British passports. This was also highlighted by the Irish Senator, Naill O Donnghaile, “Last year more people from the North applied for an Irish passport than a British one”.
Good Friday Agreement more to the point after Brexit
Under the Good Friday Agreement British and Irish governments committed themselves to identify people of Northern Ireland as British, Irish, or both and give them the right to hold both British and Irish citizenship. Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998 and wanted to give an end to almost three decades conflicts in the Northern Ireland.
After Brexit, however, this agreement seemed more to the point for the applications for the Irish passports grew dramatically in the Northern Ireland.
For example, in 2022 about 128,000 applications from which 50,000 were the first time applications came from the Northern Ireland asking for Irish citizenship.
Holyday makers should cancel trips for late Irish passports in Britain
On January 4, 2022 the Irish Passport Office announced that it has temporarily suspended sending passports to Northern Ireland.
As Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Sandra Duffy, confirmed it in a social media post, “I spoke to the passport Office this morning and have been advised that they are still not posting to the North”.
It faced many people in the Northern Ireland who had their bags packed and their airline tickets booked with a major problem that could ruin their plans for vacation.
Irish passports are late in the Northern Ireland due to the Royal Mail strike
Established in 1516 the Royal Mail has been sending letters and parcels throughout the UK for over 500 years. But, over December 2022, the Communication Union Workers (CUW) decided to take strike actions against the Royal Mail, disrupting deliveries across the country in the run up to the Christmas.
“Royal Mail bosses are risking a Christmas meltdown because of their stubborn refusal to treat their employees with respect. Postal workers want to get on with serving the communities they belong to, delivering Christmas gifts and tackling the backlog…But they know their value”. Said the CUW general secretary, Dave Ward.
Given the importance of the work of the Royal Mail in delivering passports in the Northern Ireland, posties going out on strikes over September meant that many people were forced to cancel their travel bookings because their passports had failed to arrive before their departure.
An official raises concern for the impact of the Royal Mail strike in the Northern Ireland
The Member of Legislative Assembly for Social Democratic and Labor Party in the Northern Ireland, Mark H Durkan, has raised concern about the possible disruption may cause by the Royal Mail strike.
“I am concerned about the disruption this decision may have for those currently awaiting passports who have holidays or other travel arrangements in the near future and hope any allowance will be made to help those who are in this one difficult situation”.
Late Irish passport in the Northern Ireland not unprecedented
It is not the first time that people in the Northern Ireland are facing such delay. In March 2022 also the delay in processing thousands of passports led to the cancellations of holidays and renewed calls from Irish and British governments to allocate resources to resolve the passport delays faced by the residents in the Northern Ireland.
Strabane and Derry City Council’s call for an Irish Passport Office
Given the ongoing backlog and delays for Irish passport applications in the Northern Ireland, in July 2022 Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council decided to write to the British and Irish governments requesting them to put in additional resources and infrastructures to alleviate the problem.
Moreover, already in March 2018 and later in June 2022, motions were passed by Derry and Strabane Council requesting the Irish government to open an Irish Passport Office in the city and district.
“We as Irish citizens deserve access to the Irish services and now is the time for the Irish government to deliver these fundamental rights”, said Seanador Niall O Dooghaile, one of the Council members in the meeting.
Irish and British government’s services lag behind the rising luck of Irish passport after Brexit
People in the Northern Ireland don’t receive the recognition they deserve from British and Irish governments as the problem with delay passports in the Northern Ireland persist.
As for Irish government, People in the Northern Ireland feel that they are not valued equally part of Irish nation as they are not granted the same access to Irish services like people in the Republic.
Furthermore, people also feel left out by the British government as their passports didn’t arrive on time in the Northern Ireland due to Royal Mail strike, forcing them to cancel holidays. They suppose that pre-emptory actions could have been taken by the government to prevent this from happening.
Finally, although the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has halted strike action across the UK by January 2023, the passport service’s suspension is still in place as of today (January 8, 2023), which once again clearly highlights the need for the Irish government to open a passport office in the Northern Ireland.
