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In depth
Article 2 of the Irish Constitution (Bunreacht na hÉireann) defines the Irish nation and the right to Irish citizenship. The original 1937 text asserted a territorial claim to the entire island of Ireland; the 1998 amendment (passed as part of the Good Friday Agreement) replaced this with a definition based on birth and descent.
The amended Article 2 reads: 'It is the entitlement and birthright of every person born in the island of Ireland, which includes its islands and seas, to be part of the Irish Nation. That is also the entitlement of all persons otherwise qualified in accordance with law to be citizens of Ireland.'
Article 2 provides the constitutional foundation for the Foreign Births Register and the grandparent rule.
Related terms
Bunreacht na hÉireann (Constitution of Ireland) is the fundamental law of Ireland, which includes provisions on citizenship in Article 2.
The Foreign Births Register (FBR) is the official record maintained by Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs of people born outside Ireland who are entitled to Irish citizenship by descent.
The Good Friday Agreement (1998) is the peace accord that confirms the right of people in Northern Ireland to identify as Irish, British, or both, and to hold citizenship accordingly.
The grandparent rule is the most common path to Irish citizenship by descent: having one grandparent born on the island of Ireland (including Northern Ireland) qualifies you for the Foreign Births Register.
The GRO (General Register Office) is the Irish government office that maintains records of births, deaths, marriages, and civil partnerships in the Republic of Ireland.
GRONI (General Register Office Northern Ireland) is the government office that maintains vital records for Northern Ireland, equivalent to the GRO in the Republic.