Thanks for posting that article. I want to comment of a couple of points made by the people interviewed.
Mr. Gadson has not been waiting 2 years on the FBR section to approve his application. It took him a year to gather the certificates etc necessary to apply. He has, therefore, been waiting a year like quite a lot of other people on this board. Nothing particularly remarkable about his case. Yes, the FBR section are taking longer than the advised 6 months at the time he applied, but they are hardly responsible for his own lack of pace in assembling the supporting documentation. As for his passport application, I fail to see how 9 months will be required. My own took 2 months this spring. Brawn got his in under that time (UK applicant) using passport express. Nothing remotely approaching the 9 month mark for passport issuance has been reported on the board that I know of. Moreover, in many cases, one is expected to pay for a service before receiving it. Certainly, in terms of passports and citizenships, that is the way it works. It's really not much of a shocker. Not mentioned is the fact that if an FBR application fails then Ireland will refund the application fee. That is an unusually generous policy, which does not indicate a grasping nature on the part of the DFA.
I sympathize far more with Mr. Minogue. He is completely right to highlight that communication with the FBR department is far from easy and their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Likewise, they have posted mixed / misleading messages on their site or given it out through their call operators. Significant improvements could and should be made in these areas.