Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy has rightly outlined, this issue was addressed following a referendum of the Irish people. Every person who was suitable and of age to vote was entitled to vote in this referendum. The twenty-seventh amendment to the Constitution changed the position regarding entitlement to Irish citizenship and as a result, section 6 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 was amended by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 2004. These changes came into effect on 1 January 2005 and as of that date, a person born on the island of Ireland is not entitled to be an Irish citizen unless that person's parents have been resident in the island of Ireland for a total of three years during the four years preceding that person's birth.

The Deputy may be aware of this but it is important to point out that no EU member state grants automatic and unconditional citizenship to children who are born in the country or its territories to foreign citizens. This is not something on which we are an outlier. It is very much the case in all member states. There have been previous proposals to change legislation but any changes in that regard would have to be carefully considered and there would have to be significant consultation across a number of Departments. It is open to individuals to apply for citizenship after that five-year period, so if somebody has been here for ten or 12 years, that option is open to them and I encourage anyone in that position to do so.

See this speech in context