I did not really mean to correct anymore than the part about being provided with an Irish birth certificate, as no one could legally get that not actually born here.
Genuinely delighted when the GFA made official Ireland's claim to all born on the Island Ireland and their children and children's children, I think the DUP and fellow dodgy milkman uniformed
extremists missed that subtlety as they grasped for the removal of Dev's claim which was sadly proven aspirational and pointless in reality anyway.
I want anyone with Irish connections and a genuine pride in that to get what ever they want equal as fellow citizens, so delighted your family was sorted and efficiently
The real point of posting was to encourage anyone Irish and not to be put off if it does not prove straightforward, so I provided the official links which go through the official steps.
As for delays on the process! Not sure but so as to help others possibly be patient then-, probably delayed and had more fuss because they like a lot of the older Irish, never had current passports. I assume they once had them, but never clarified that, possibly thinking about it now that that they never did have actual passports. Because they may have had card type visas for France, they were there I think on and off for 5 years, but back home in between.
I only know for certain that a lot of Irish who left in the 1930's onwards and went to parts of Britain often only went with the intention of short term, but ended up staying and never went anywhere else in their lives but back and fro to Ireland and until fair recent times you never needed a passport even on a plane between the two Islands.
So older people like that, they'd still need to prove Irish citizenship in those cases and I would imagine there would be many of them if people are using Grandparents.
Likely as not just had an unhelpful person dealing with them, here like anywhere else much, being helped can sometimes unfortunately depend who you speak to on the day. I have had different answers from state bodies on the very same day after calling back and speaking to someone else on exact same question, that gives you an idea.
To be positive Ireland is better than most, usually found it worse or more blunt/rude unhelpful abroad than Ireland, parts of England are the worst in my experience, having all too many especially unhelpful/ignorant shop staff, never took it as personal just seem to have a fairer share of people either unmotivated and appear content to clockwatch by self defeating methods,
spending more time actively not trying to help people than doing the simpler task of helping.
But Ireland is not a land of a thousand welcomes for everyone every day, we are generally losing charm and personal touch in recent years, here now how well you're helped either on the phone or even in person, often depends how they woke up that morning, or being misdirected by newly employed or the long experienced stubborn and ignorant. In more recent times a understandable amount of confusion by people who newish to Ireland themselves and may speak English but do not understand the many differences between the Irish use of that hybrid language. Many will not for a while hope to understand the many different Irish use of words, that is another factor. To be fair to them they would not have experienced a nation where words are so important and can be used in so many ways. I barely understand some County accents myself.
Nothing is necessarily straightforward here, neither a no or a yes, so it never surprised me their hassle.
So don't be put off, there often are possible ways around things here.
Yes you can, there are ways through naturalization for someone with an affinity.
Bearing in mind we have had the likes of john bruton and sir bob Geldof in prior positions of mass influence, I'd be curious as to the guidelines as what is an acceptable form of and definition of affinity
And thinking again, if any of your Grandparents with Irish links are alive, could they register? if so then you would possibly have a cheaper shorter route via them than
http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/WP16000022
People are making a living out of this brexit game In Ireland and uk no doubt, solicitors or more likely their secretaries doing the work often with even less knowledge without checking themselves and care, so that's me done on this subject.
Want to help Irish people, but not even by default the many scammers around the world and especially not any sevco or edl or bnp or dodgy milkman with a flute hypocrite!