There are three ways to obtain Irish citizenship through descent:
Your parent is an Irish-born citizen
You have an Irish-born grandparent
Your parent was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth
If your parent is an Irish-born citizen before 2005, then you are an Irish citizen and you can apply for an Irish passport without having to go through the foreign birth registration process.
For options 2 and 3, you will need to apply to be entered onto the Foreign Birth Registration (“FBR”) first to establish your Irish citizenship through descent. Once this stage is complete, you are an Irish citizen and you can apply for an Irish passport.
