The numbers have grown from 51 in 2014 to 529 in 2017.
Figures have revealed the explosive spike in the number of British people looking to become Irish citizens since the UK announced its impending departure from the European Union last year.
Fine Gael Senator Neale Richmond – who compiled the research – released the evidence which showed that the number of British people looking to become Irish citizens has grown tenfold in the past three years.
Richmond divulged that 51 Britons looked to obtain naturalisation in 2014, 54 in 2015, 98 in 2016 and 529 in 2017. He believes this is a direct result of the Brexit referendum.
“Already we’ve seen a massive increase in applications for passports by eligible citizens living in Northern Ireland and in Great Britain,” said Senator Richmond.
“Now, figures released to me by the Department of Justice have shown that increasingly British nationals living here, who don’t qualify for a passport through lineage, are applying for Irish citizenship.
“Such a spike is clearly tied to the Brexit referendum and the uncertainty that has prevailed since the vote.
“There over 300,000 British nationals living in the state and it is estimated that about one-third of these would not qualify for an Irish passport through lineage.
“Many of these are now looking to become naturalized Irish citizens for a host of reasons.
“This is a good news story and these new Irish citizens should be commended for their decision and thanked for their positive contribution to our society”, he adds.
People may be eligible to apply for Irish citizenship by naturalisation if they are living in the State or married to an Irish citizen – as well as a number of other conditions.
Earlier in the year, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney confirmed that some 20% of the total number of applications received by the Passport Service in 2017 were from Irish citizens in Northern Ireland or Great Britain in the wake of Brexit.
The number of passport applications received in 2017 from applicants in Northern Ireland rose to 81,752, an increase of almost 20% compared to 2016. Applications from the rest of Great Britain rose to 81,287, an increase of over 28% compared to 2016.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, over 47% of these applicants were Irish citizens by birth in Ireland; while another 37% were Irish citizens born abroad to an Irish-born parent.
The department stated that they had “actively responded” to these increases through a range of measures, including the hiring of over 240 Temporary Clerical officers and additional full-time staff.
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