2017 could be the first year in history that more than 1,000,000 people apply for an Irish passport, and the primary reason for that would appear to be Brexit.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, applications for the Irish passport has skyrocketed from Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.
733,060 Irish passports were issued in 2016, and 9% increase on 2015, but the Department are expecting a further 25%-30% increase in 2017.
Already in the first three months of this year, there has been a 26% increase in Irish passport applications on last year.
Of those applications, 51,000 came from citizens within the UK and Northern Ireland between January and March, which is a 68% increase on the 30,000 applications from those countries within the same time frame in 2016.
Brexit is thought to be the primary reason for the increase, with the rights to work and travel freely within Europe still applicable to the Republic Of Ireland, while those in the UK and Northern Ireland are still facing potential restrictions.
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