THE former British Ambassador to Ireland, Sir Ivor Roberts, has formally become an Irish citizen due to anxieties over Brexit.
Sir Ivor, who was Westminster’s representative in Dublin between 1999 and 2003, said he has begun the process of getting an Irish passport so that he can retain his citizenship in the European Union.
The 70-year-old’s father was born in Northern Ireland and he is therefore entitled to both British and Irish citizenship.
Sir Ivor told the Irish Times that Britain’s decision to leave the EU was the main reason behind his decision.
He added that he has a house in Italy and “I don’t want to find myself queuing to get through Rome airport every time I go there”.
After his stint in Dublin, Sir Ivor served as the British Ambassador to Italy for three years.
He was knighted by the Queen in 2000 for his contributions to Her Majesty’s diplomatic service, which he first joined in 1968.
The ex-diplomat said he was encouraged to apply for citizenship by his three children, who have also applied for citizenship after the referendum vote in June last year.
“I’ve always had a soft spot for Ireland though not everyone in Iveagh House [Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs] may agree with that," Sir Ivor said.
“I obviously worked for the British Government for 40 years and I’m not giving up my British citizenship. My wife Elizabeth is Australian and I may take that up too,” he added.
Sir Ivor, who is also president of Trinity College Oxford, has maintained personal and business connections with the Emerald Isle since he left in 2003.
He said he was encouraged to apply for Irish citizenship after his three children applied after the referendum vote in June last year.
Earlier this year, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs was forced to recruit hundreds of extra staff after applications for Irish passports rocketed by 69 per cent in the first quarter of 2017.
This post-Brexit surge in applications could push the number of passport applications over one million for the first time this year.
Anyone with a parent or grandparent born in Ireland or the North has an automatic right to Irish citizenship.
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