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In depth
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 (FBR).
Under the rule, you do not need to have an Irish-born parent — only an Irish-born grandparent. Your parent (the child of the Irish-born grandparent) does not need to have been registered on the FBR before your birth, in most cases.
If your Irish connection is through a great-grandparent or further back, you generally do not qualify — unless your parent was registered on the FBR before your birth. In that case, the line continues.
Example
If your grandmother was born in Cork in 1920, you qualify for the Irish Foreign Births Register under the grandparent rule.
Related terms
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 Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, is the principal Irish citizenship law that governs the Foreign Births Register and other paths to Irish citizenship.
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.
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.
A post-nuptial declaration is a historic Irish citizenship path for foreign spouses who married Irish citizens before certain dates, allowing them to claim Irish citizenship through marriage.