Interesting what John said about Irish citizens being considered automatically to have PR in the UK - I have not heard of this myself.
In any event, you seem to be able to show you have PR either way.
The law you will need to refer an Immigration Judge to is as follows:
The Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006.
This should cover you: you have "resided in the UK in accordance with the Regulations" by being a worker AND then for any subsequent period when you had PR.15.—(1) The following persons shall acquire the right to reside in the United Kingdom permanently—
(a)an EEA national who has resided in the United Kingdom in accordance with these Regulations for a continuous period of five years;.
(b)a family member of an EEA national who is not himself an EEA national but who has resided in the United Kingdom with the EEA national in accordance with these Regulations for a continuous period of five years;
Now, your wife. Has she resided in the UK "in accordance with the Regulations" for 5 years? THe answer is in Regulation 14:
So your has been "residing in the UK in accordance with the Regulations" all the time you, the EEA national, were a worker (a "qualified person"), or have had PR. And after 5 years of doing that, she also acquired PR (see Regulation 15 again).Extended right of residence
This section has no associated Explanatory Memorandum
14.—(1) A qualified person is entitled to reside in the United Kingdom for so long as he remains a qualified person.
(2) A family member of a qualified person residing in the United Kingdom under paragraph (1) or of an EEA national with a permanent right of residence under regulation 15 is entitled to reside in the United Kingdom for so long as he remains the family member of the qualified person or EEA national.
The only thing that might affect your status is if you are a dual UK/Irish national who has never actually resided in Ireland. But since you say you have been living and working here for the past 20 years, it looks like you moved to the UK as an adult.