Like a bar on St. Patrick’s Day, almost everybody wants to be Irish these days.
Driving the news: The number of Brits looking to gain Irish citizenship through establishing familial heritage increased by 15% last year, reaching the highest levels since data was first digitally tracked in 2013. The driving force is that many are tired of this whole ‘Brexit thing.’
- Britons who are fed up with the difficulties of travelling and working in Europe post-Brexit are looking for a way to become EU citizens again.
- These dissatisfied Limeys might also be interested in ditching England as economic conditions in the country worsen compared to brighter prospects on the Emerald Isle.
Plus: It’s not just Brits who are trying to use the nationality of their great-grandparents to gain citizenship. The director of the Immigration Advice Service of Ireland told the Financial Times the last U.S. election caused a spike in inquiries about citizenship from Americans.
Big picture: Ireland was once a country everyone left — there’s even a whole museum dedicated to people bailing — but has now become a growing migration hub. Between April of 2023 and 2024, the country saw the largest 12-month increase in newcomers in 17 years.
Yes, but: Ireland finds itself in a similar position to other countries that rapidly absorbed a lot of immigrants (Canada, for example), seeing exacerbated rental prices and housing shortages, and a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment.—QH