Over 183,000 UK citizens applied for Irish citizenship in 2018 , the highest level ever recorded . Of the applications , applications came from Northern countries , up 2 % from 2017 , while applications were made by residents of Great Britain , a 20 % percentage increase . The dramatic rise in passport requests in 2018 follows a 20 % increase from UK applicants in 2017 after the 2016 referendum . Holding dual Irish - British citizenship will allow residents to live and work in all 28 EU countries without a visa after the UK leaves the bloc .
Over 183,000 UK citizens applied for Irish passports in 2018, the highest level ever recorded. Of the applications, 84,855 came from Northern Ireland, up 2% from 2017, while 98,544 were made by residents of Great Britain, a 22% YoY increase. The dramatic rise in passport requests in 2018 follows a 20% increase from UK applicants in 2017 after the 2016 referendum. Holding dual Irish-British citizenship will allow residents to live and work in all 28 EU countries without a visa after the UK leaves the bloc.