The amount of people applying for Irish passports from the United Kingdom has nearly doubled this year, with figures now showing that 162, 251 people are trying to make their post-Brexit lives easier by having EU citizenship in their back pocket.
Figures reported by the Irish Times show that, to date, 81,287 passport applications have been made from Britain this year, while another 80,964 have come from Northern Ireland, for a total that's nearly double the 91,924 applications that were made in 2014.
For context, in 2015, a mere 53,715 people from Northern Ireland applied for Irish passports, which increased to 67,582 in the year of the Brexit vote, and has hit its high of 80,964 so far this year.
And in terms of mainland Brits looking for an Irish passport, in 2013, only 42,441 applications for Irish passports came from Britain, which says a lot.
If you're wondering why so many people are applying to an Irish passport, our shiny EU membership will allow anyone living in the UK free movement around Europe after they leave the EU on March 29th 2019.
And if you're wondering about the how of getting an Irish passport, any person born in Northern Ireland can apply for an Irish passport, and anyone born in England, Scotland or Wales to an Irish parent can also apply for citizenship and a passport under Irish law.
Via Irish Times
