Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

What the Minister said is correct but as a former diplomatic officer who had to deal with consular, passport and nationality matters I would like to put Senator Tuffy's mind at rest about a person, who is an Irish citizen, who goes abroad, marries and comes back here. One parent is sufficient to provide citizenship. Otherwise, the founder of our party and our State would have been in trouble. There is no concern about that aspect. It is now a constitutionally based right if one is born in Ireland, except in very exceptional circumstances, and it was a constitutional right between 1922 and 1937 as well.