Citizenship

Day 1 outside the EU.

At a personal level I retain links. My late mother was Irish and as a result I can claim Irish citizenship. I did not immediately apply but as the direction of travel firmed up I did so and the passport arrived just a few weeks ago.

The confirmation of my Irish links, along with my wife being born in Ireland would enable our children to work across the EU, if they wished to. At the moment that prospect is unlikely but it leaves options open if they wished to apply.

It got me thinking about citizenship. The Irish passport reinforces the links I’ve always felt with Ireland and of course the relatives living there. And indeed, many relatives on that side of the family haves lived and worked in Great Britain, some for decades, and some have been born here.

But the passport’s existence does not make me feel any less Scottish. As the 6 Nations' match in Dublin went on today the progression of the Irish team generated the normal frustration.

The question will be in the next 5-10 years whether I can add a Scottish passport to my (now) collection and whether in time it will bear European Union at the top.