Britain only recognized Irish nationality in 1948 and gave people born in Ireland one year to declare their loyalty to Britain either in the northern counties or on the mainland. Many of them did but kept their Irish passports, too, as they were legally allowed to.

Irish passports are granted instantly on the basis of jus sanguinis to anyone with at least one Irish grandparent. You do not have to fulfill any residence requirements. And an Irish passport can be a useful document -- in the case of U.S. journalists traveling to Cuba, for example, or White House officials (such as Robert McFarland, a former official of the National Security Council involved in Irangate) traveling to Iran.

Many Americans can trace their ancestry to Ireland -- and therefore can claim Irish citizenship. The Irish ancestor must be at least a parent or grandparent.

The language is English, and there are a great many Americans with at least one Irish grandparent. Because Ireland is a member of the EU, obtaining an Irish passport is particularly valuable for those wishing to live or work anywhere in Europe.

The first point to bear in mind about Irish law is that the Irish constitution claims Northern Ireland to be part of the Republic of Ireland. Thus, although it is occupied by Britain, for most people born before 1922 in Northern Ireland they were Irish by birth. If this applies to your parent or grandparent you are in. (Certain persons born there after that date may also be able to qualify, but that is too complex for this report.) So if you always assumed your grandparents were English, you might check the birth records to find out if they really meant England -- of if in fact they were born in Ulster.

If a parent was born in Ireland, you are deemed to be Irish by birth and need not register to acquire Irish citizenship. You simply take the documentation to the nearest Irish embassy or consulate and apply for an Irish passport. Generally you will be asked for your birth certificate, your parents' birth certificates and your parents' marriage certificate.

If you have an Irish grandparent, the procedure is a little different. You are not automatically a citizen, but must register your citizenship. This is done by producing all of the documentation (relevant birth and marriage certificates) to either an Irish embassy or consulate, or to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dublin. Technically this is an application for registration in the foreign births record book. Once this has been done you are able to apply for a passport. So even if you don't want to apply for an Irish passport immediately, if you are entitled to this registration it is a good idea to do so immediately in case the law changes sometime in the future.

The other route to Irish citizenship is by marriage. A person married to an Irish citizen for three years or more is entitled to Irish citizenship simply by registering with the Irish embassy or consulate. Thus, if your spouse had an Irish parent and you have already been married for three years or more, all you have to do is register. But if your spouse had an Irish grandparent but has never registered as a citizen, then they must first get registered on the foreign births register and wait three years.

If you or your spouse have an Irish parent, you should register your children immediately. Should the law change, it may be very valuable to them sometime in the future.

Adam Starchild is the author of numerous books and articles on offshore investing and living. This is a sample chapter from his book How To Legally Obtain A Second Citizenship and Passport -- and Why You Want To.

It may seem like a simple question but it doesn't take long to figure out that "Irish" might mean different things to different people.

A logical place to start the exploration of the Irish question is in a dictionary. That said, the American Heritage Dictionary says the term means "Of or relating to Ireland or its people, language, or culture." Simple enough, or is it? Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary is slightly different: "Of or pertaining to Ireland or to its inhabitants; produced in Ireland", or "The natives or inhabitants of Ireland, esp. the Celtic natives or their descendants." WordNet from Princeton University gives us: "people of Ireland or of Irish extraction".

The answers get a little more complicated with a look at how those same dictionaries define "Ireland". The dictionaries tell us that Ireland is both an island and a country that occupies most of that island!

So, is "Irish" a nationality? Can you be Irish without being Celtic? Can you be Irish if you've never even been to Ireland?

The answer to each of those questions is "yes" if you consider look at the legal requirements of Citizenship in the Constitution of the Republic of Ireland. Citizenship can be achieved by birth on the Irish island, descent, or naturalisation. That means that someone of Asian or Slavic descent can be "Irish"! It could also mean that absent naturalisation an American, Canadian, or anyone else of Irish descent might not be "Irish."

So, do you HAVE to be Irish if you're born on the Irish island? Actually, the answer to that question is "no". Those born in Northern Ireland are entitled to British citizenship and must request Irish citizenship if they desire it. There are also people in the Republic of Ireland who consider themselves of British heritage who would prefer to maintain their allegiance to the United Kingdom.

What about that "complication" that means that those of Irish descent might not be "Irish"....Another look at the Irish Constitution seems to broaden the definition of "Irish" beyond those who simply live on the Irish island or have other claim to citizenship. Article 2 states in part:

... the Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage.

In a 1995 speech to the Oireachtas, then President Mary Robinson also spoke of "Irishness" that was not "simply territorial." She spoke warmly of the contributions of the many groups who came to the Irish island and made it home. Pre-Celtic wanderers, Celts, Vikings, Normans, Huguenots, Scots and English settlers all had a role not only in making Ireland what it is today but throughout the world as the Irish left their homes and made new lives abroad, carrying their Irishness with them.

Perhaps the answer to the question of "what's Irish?", then, is that there is no single answer. Yes, it's nationality and citizenship. It's also heritage and point of view, an "affinity" with the peoples and events that came together on the Irish island. Can you be "Irish" without a passport?

Saol fada chugat!

Pat (Pádraigin) Friend