durham_lad

In 2011 our daughter and her husband flew from the USA to Dublin on their US Passports, where we met them. (We were staying in England at the time). After 3 days we caught a train to Cork, stayed 3 days then flew from Cork to Manchester. At Manchester no one checked our passports, which surprised me somewhat that we never went through passport control.

BritInParis

As a compromise why not get your Irish passport? It's $120 compared to $250 for a British passport.

We should see a dramatic fall in prices for a British passport come April when the FCO finally hands over all responsibility to the Home Office worldwide. I'm not holding my breath but the UK price did fall by £5 recently so it may be feasibly possible.

SultanOfSwing

I've no interest in getting an Irish passport. First and foremost because I'm not Irish, despite what those twats who wrote the Belfast agreement might have thought.

BritInParis

I did think about writing "unless you wouldn't want one for political reasons" in my last post - looks like that's the case and fair play to you.

My own two-pence worth - I would never go without my British passport even if I had obtained citizenship of a new home country. Even with the inflated overseas price it still works out to less than £15 a year. I would consider that a small price to pay for the privilege.

SultanOfSwing

Sorry - I didn't mean that to look like I was having a go at you ...

But no, I am dual UK/US - the US passport is essential to get back in here again, the UK passport would just be a luxury that would get used very rarely these days so it's purely a cost thing.

lansbury

No - it isn't a Brit queue, it is for holders of an EU passport. Plus a few others but not US.

hungryhorace

$108 actually

SultanOfSwing

It could be two shillings and sixpence for all I care, no way I'd ever get one

hungryhorace

Why not? I know i'm missing something. Are you Northern Irish?

SultanOfSwing

There's nothing to miss. I'm British, I happen to have been born in Belfast. I hold dual UK/US citizenship.

Some people think being born in Northern Ireland makes them Irish. I am not one of them.

hungryhorace

That's fair enough. I respect your principles FWIW.

SultanOfSwing

It's OK. I wasn't lucky enough to have been born English like a lot of the rest of you. That comes with no ambiguity

Hotscot

Hmmm

SultanOfSwing

My dad's English, I'm biased

MarylandNed

The term "Irish" has several meanings. It is sometimes used to mean anyone from the geographic island known as Ireland. It is also used to describe citizens of the Republic of Ireland. It's also used to describe people who are descendants of people from Ireland e.g. Irish American. So you can still be referred to as "Irish" even if you're not a citizen of the Republic of Ireland.

The UK has subdivisions - including England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The people from those UK subdivisions are commonly referred to as English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish. You're not English, Scottish or Welsh - you're Northern Irish. And Northern Irish is still a subset of the term Irish (when Irish is used to refer to the people from the island of Ireland). Similarly Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are parts of the same geographic island known as Ireland (here Ireland is used geographically - not politically).

Anyone born in Northern Ireland is entitled to Irish citizenship per the laws of the Republic of Ireland. You don't have to exercise that right if you don't want to. I was born in Northern Ireland and I consider myself to be Northern Irish first and foremost. I am also Irish in the sense that all people from the island of Ireland are referred to as Irish. In addition, I am a citizen of the Republic of Ireland (I obtained an Irish passport as is my right under Irish law). I also happen to be a citizen of the UK through birth in Northern Ireland.