Area: 70,282 sq. km.
Population: 4,156,119
Capital: Dublin
Language: The Irish language as the national language is the first official language. The English language is recognized as a second official language.
Religion: Roman Catholic 92%
Time Zone: GMT - 1
Electricity: 220 volts AC 50Hz
Passport: Valid passport required by all except nationals of the EU
Currency: Irish Pound (punt) is made up of 100 pence
Health: The Irish National Heath Plan is free and covers all residents.It does not cover foreigners. Ask your Travel Agent about taking insurance.
Climate: Influenced by the Gulf Stream and with the prevailing winds predominantly from the south-west, the climate is equable and temperatures are fairly uniform over the whole country. The coldest months are January & February with mean daily air temperatures of between 4C and 7C while July & August are the warmest with temperatures between 14C and 16C.
International Dialing Code: 011 (353) + Area Code + Number
If you have an Irish parent or grandparent, you should know that you are eligible to take up Irish citizenship. Citizenship will allow you to travel, work and live in Ireland - or any other European Union nation - permanently.
Q. Can I become an Irish citizen?
A. You are automatically an Irish citizen if you were born in Ireland, or if at least one of your parents was born in Ireland. You are eligible to apply to become a citizen if you have at least one grandparent who was born in Ireland, or if you have a parent who was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth.
Q. What is the difference between being a citizen and being eligible to apply for citizenship?
A. If you are a citizen, you may apply for a passport and live and work in Ireland right away. Otherwise you will have to go through an application process. Becoming an Irish citizen does not mean that you will have to give up citizenship of your birth nation.
Q. What do I need to prove my eligibility?
A. You will need to prove your relationship with your emigrant relative, by showing birth and marriage records.
Q. Is there any other way I can become an Irish citizen?
A. Yes, but it’s not very easy. Apart from citizenship through descent, you may also gain citizenship through naturalisation, which is based on a five-year residency requirement, and post-nuptial citizenship, through marrying an Irish citizen.
Q. My great-grandparents were born in Ireland. Can I become a citizen through them?
A. In most cases, the answer is no. You can become a citizen through a great-grandparent only if your own parent was registered in the foreign birth register, either before 1986 or before you were born.
Q. How do I start the process?
A. Contact your nearest Irish embassy for the citizenship forms, then write to Ireland for your relatives’ birth certificates.
Q. Where do I get my Irish relations' birth certificates?
A. Write to the General Register Office, Joyce House, 8-11 Lombard Street East, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland, if your relative was born after 1864 in Ireland (or between 1864 and 1921 in the six counties that are now Northern Ireland). Specify that you need the long-form certificate, which is required for your application.
If your relation was born after 1921 in Northern Ireland, you will need to write to The General Register Office, Oxford House, Chichester Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Ireland is an English-speaking island on the Northwestern edge of Europe. It is 300 miles long and 150 miles wide. The Republic of Ireland takes up three quarters of the island - its capital city is Dublin. It is a constitutional democracy and a member of the European Union.
