A reverend based in Shandon, Cork, has said proposed changes to Ireland's citizenship rules could break up her family, according to echo live. Rev Farr's warning was reported on Thursday, 10 September 2026, as part of wider coverage of the government's planned overhaul of naturalisation requirements.
Under the proposals, people applying for Irish citizenship would have to demonstrate English or Irish language skills, Sky News reports. RTÉ has examined what such a test might involve for applicants.
The changes have drawn criticism from people already partway through the process. In a piece for The Irish Times, one applicant wrote that 4.5 years spent in Ireland would be erased under the new proposals. The Irish Examiner also carried letters from readers arguing that the rules are being loosened for some applicants while being tightened for those who followed the existing requirements.
Rev Farr's comments place a local face on a national argument. Her concern, as reported by echo live, is that the proposed criteria would not just delay applications but could physically separate family members who currently live together.
The Department of Justice has not yet published the full detail of how the language requirement would operate, and it is not clear from the reporting so far whether existing applicants would be assessed under the old rules or the new ones.
Watch for the publication of the final scheme, which should clarify the test format, the exemptions, and whether people already in the system will be affected.
