Professor David Phinnemore:

I encourage members to think about it. A cohort of families who have been long-standing residents of Northern Ireland, possibly pre-dating the Good Friday Agreement, will not enjoy the right to retain EU citizenship through Irish citizenship provided under the Good Friday Agreement. There are issues.

To the extent that those holding Irish passports and Irish citizenship in Northern Ireland avail of EU citizenship, it raises many interesting questions as to who will pay the hospital bill when, for example, a person living in Armagh travels, as an Irish citizen, for treatment in Sweden. Should the bill go to the Irish or British Government? There are also issues about where people go to seek redress if they believe their rights are not being upheld?