Question about Irish citizenship through descent

[chickenviolator]

Hello, I have a bit of an unusual enquiry and I'm wondering if any of you might be able to give your thoughts, as I couldn't find an official email to address questions about the foreign births register.

My great-grandfather was born in Ireland and was an Irish citizen, which should also make my grandmother an Irish citizen under Section 6 (2) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship act of 1956. My father, as far as I'm aware, isn't registered on the foreign births register, which is stated as a requirement for conferring of citizenship (Section 7 part 2).

However, Section 7 part 2 also says this:

(2) Neither subsection (2) nor (4) of section 6 shall confer Irish citizenship on a person born outside Ireland if the father or mother through whom he derives citizenship was also born outside Ireland, unless—

(a) that person's birth is registered under section 27, or

(b) his father or mother, as the case may be, was at the time of his birth resident abroad in the public service.

My father was born in Germany while my grandmother was serving there in the RAF. Would this count as public service? Instinctively I'd say it doesn't given that the British Armed Forces aren't funded by Ireland in any way, but considering that the same can't be said for Northern Ireland, and that Article 2 of the Irish constitution defines the Irish Nation as the island of Ireland, I'm really not sure.

I'm sure such a case must be quite uncommon, so I don't expect anybody here to know for sure, but do you think I'm right in my line of thinking, and that it's worth taking further? Thanks.

[corky100]

I think your being a bit optimistic there. By public servant, that usually means Diplomatic assignments, and even if it didn't, that would be public service in the Irish government. Sorry I just can't see any way serving for a foreign military with a baby born in a country foreign to the foreign country military would cut the mustard.

[chickenviolator]

I think your being a bit optimistic there. By public servant, that usually means Diplomatic assignments, and even if it didn't, that would be public service in the Irish government. Sorry I just can't see any way serving for a foreign military with a baby born in a country foreign to the foreign country military would cut the mustard.

Yeah I think so too, the ambiguous definition of "public service" in the law made me think it was worth asking.
"
“public service” when used in relation to the employment of a person, refers to employment in the service of the Government, whether or not in the civil service, or in the service of any public corporation or authority maintained wholly or partly out of public funds or in respect of which a Minister of State is responsible."
I suppose there's no way you could argue the RAF was ever funded by the Irish public though.

Regardless, do you know where I might direct enquiries about the foreign birth register? I'd like to check if my dad is on it.

[G Dog]

You would only qualify for citizenship if your grandmother was on the FBR, and your parent also. At the moment you do not qualify as it is based on a great grandparent