Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to make it quite clear that all those persons who are citizens of Ireland are EU citizens and that, after Brexit, assuming that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union in two years or whatever extended period thereafter that is deemed appropriate, all of these citizens will fully retain their right to EU citizenship and all the entitlements that flow from it in accordance with EU law. In the case of Northern Ireland, this is further underpinned by the right to identify and be accepted as Irish or British, or both. This is one of the major pillars or priorities for the UK withdrawal. When we list our priorities and speak about the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland, we noted that a pillar of that uniqueness is the fact that all citizens living in Northern Ireland are entitled to Irish citizenship and, therefore, EU citizenship.

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