Irish Citizenship by Descent – Problems with Vital Records
Irish Citizenship by Descent - Correcting Your Vital Records
Ireland has always been a beautiful country with a rich history, full of literature, music and art. Its culture beckons from well spoken approachable locals or music & ale filled public houses gathering folks of all ages. Add to this that now, the Irish economy is more than sound, having an average rate of grown of over 5.6% a year for the last 18 years. Ireland is now receiving more immigration than ever, it’s population grew to beyond 5 million in 2022 for the first time since 1851, undoubtably many returning descendants included.
What else is there, okay some rain, but also a good public healthcare system and European Union membership. Being a citizen if Ireland is being able to go anywhere and work anywhere in the EU. This might include winters in Spain & Italy, and being able to use their public healthcare system in the event of an urgency. The benefits are staggering, really.
The author of this blog is nor an Irish solicitor (attorney) and thus cannot advise you on Irish law, but I can provide a link to the Irish government’s website on the issue of citizenship by descent here. You will see that what is mainly needed is at least one grandparent that was born in Ireland. Then, you may need to make sure there was no break in the ancestral line like a naturalization of an ancestor prior to his/her child’s birth at a time before Ireland allowed holding more than one citizenship.
If you generally qualify, you will need to document your lineage, your connection to this grandparent. Illinois received many Irish immigrants and often, the records did not correctly reflect their information. Perhaps the name was misspelled, or date of birth was incorrect or the location of birth was wrong. This document might need to be corrected and if that is not feasible, an order from an Illinois Judge declaring what was the correct information or that the two different documents in fact identify one and the same person, might be needed.
If you have questions about correcting vital records from Illinois or the federal government, please contact us. We will do our best to enable you to secure the benefit you seek, including that Irish citizenship by descent.
