Brexit spurs Irish passport grab

A record number of Irish passports were issued in 2017 due to Brexit vote

Record number of passports issued in Northern Ireland where everyone has a birth-right to identify as Irish or British
Record number of passports issued in Northern Ireland where everyone has a birth-right to identify as Irish or British

779,000 Irish passports were issued in 2017 since the Brexit vote – the highest number on record, the Ireland department of foreign affairs revealed.

The number is expected to increase as applications continue to be filed, according to the Irish government.

The Irish minister for foreign affairs Simon Coveney said that the record number of passports issued this year represent an increase of over 6% when compared to 2016 which was a record-breaking year itself and an increase of over 15% since the year before.

"The number of applicants from Northern Ireland and Great Britain has continued to rise. Overall, almost 20% of the total number of applications received by the passport service this year were from Irish citizens in Northern Ireland or Great Britain."

81,572 passports were issued in Northern Ireland, and 81,287 from Britain – a rise of 28%. The number of people born in Britain registering as Irish rose by 95%.