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Nationality

Brexit had a lot of Irish people North of the border rushing to get their Irish passports.

Although only about a quarter of people in Northern Ireland identify as Irish, according to a 2011 census, no-one wants to lose out on the benefits of being an EU citizen. The Good Friday Agreement guaranteed the rights of people on the island of Ireland to identify as Irish, British or both.

However as reported in the Irish Times on 16 July 2018 “Mr Juncker told the European Parliament at the end of June: “Irish citizens in Northern Ireland will no longer benefit from United Kingdom’s participation in [EU] programmes, policies and activities when this participation ends following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the [EU].”

A Northern Irish-based human rights group, the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), has now written to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker seeking urgent clarification…”

irish pride

So, despite the fact that the majority of people in Northern Ireland voted to stay in the EU and that Good Friday Agreement was supposed to guarantee the equal rights of all Irish citizens, North and South, Brexit could make people North of the border who hold an Irish passport second-class EU citizens.