How many Britons are entitled to an Irish passport?
By Simon Maybin
BBC Radio 4, More or Less
ÓжàÉÙÓ¢¹úÈ˳ÖÓа®¶ûÀ¼»¤ÕÕ£¿
ÈüÃÅ¡¤Âõ±ö
BBC ¹ã²¥4̨ More or Less
Following a surge in post-Brexit citizenship requests, it was widely claimed that a quarter of British people have Irish heritage. What's the true figure?
°éËæ×ÅÓ¢¹úÍÑÅ·ºóµÄ¹ú¼®ÇëÇó³±£¬Ò»ÖÖ˵·¨¹ãΪÁ÷´«£ºËÄ·ÖÖ®Ò»µÄÓ¢¹úÈËÓа®¶ûÀ¼ÑªÍ³¡£ÕæÕýµÄ±ÈÀýÓжàÉÙÄØ£¿
Lots of news reports - including in the Daily Express, the Daily Mail, the Sun and even the BBC - have given a figure of one in four British people having Irish heritage.
ºÜ¶àÐÂÎű¨µÀ¡ª¡ª°üÀ¨¡¶Ã¿Èտ챨¡·¡¢¡¶Ã¿ÈÕÓʱ¨¡·¡¢¡¶Ì«Ñô±¨¡·ÉõÖÁÓ¢¹ú¹ã²¥µç̨ÔÚÄÚµÄýÌ屨µÀ¡ª¡ª¶¼³öÏÖÁËËÄ·ÖÖ®Ò»Ó¢¹úÈËÓа®¶ûÀ¼ÑªÍ³µÄ˵·¨¡£ That equates to 16 million people. But this turns out to be one of those statistics that may not be totally accurate.
ËÄ·ÖÖ®Ò»Ó¢¹úÈË£¬»»¸ö˵·¨£¬¾ÍÊÇ1600ÍòÓ¢¹úÈË¡£²»¹ý£¬Õâ¸öͳ¼ÆÊý¾Ý¿ÉÄÜͬÆäËû²»×¼È·µÄÊý¾ÝÒ»Ñù²»¿ÉÐÅ¡£
There was a question in the 2011 Census about ethnicity that gave people in England, Wales and Scotland the option of ticking a \2011ÄêÈË¿ÚÆÕ²éÓÐÒ»¸ö¹ØÓÚÃñ×åµÄÎÊÌ⣬Ӣ¸ñÀ¼¡¢Íþ¶ûÊ¿ºÍËÕ¸ñÀ¼µÄ¹«Ãñ¿ÉÒÔÑ¡ÔñÔÚ¡°°®¶ûÀ¼°×ÈË¡±µÄ·½¿ò´ò¹³¡£
But only about one in 100 people ticked that box - a lot fewer than one in four. µ«ÊÇ100ÈËÀïÖ»ÓÐ1ÈË´ò¹³¡ª¡ªÕâ¸ö±ÈÀý±ÈËÄ·ÖÖ®Ò»ÒªµÍ¶àÁË¡£
In a roundabout way, however, the number is connected to that \box on the census form.
²»¹ýÈç¹û»»¸ö½Ç¶È¿´£¬°Ù·ÖÖ®Ò»µÄ±ÈÀýÊÇÊÜÈË¿ÚÆÕ²é±íÀïµÄ¡°°®¶ûÀ¼°×ÈË¡±ÕâÑùµÄ±íÊöÓ°ÏìµÄ¡£
Find out more ·¢ÏÖ¸ü¶à
It was first added as an option on the census form in 2001, the result of a push by Irish groups in Britain for their ethnicity to be formally recognised.
2001ÄêÆðÈË¿ÚÆÕ²é±íÀï¾ÍÔö¼ÓÁË¡°°®¶ûÀ¼°×ÈË¡±ÕâÒ»Ïî¡£ÕâÊÇÓ¢¹úµÄ°®¶ûÀ¼ÈËÕùÈ¡×ÔÉíÃñ×åµÃµ½¹Ù·½ÈϿɴøÀ´µÄ½á¹û¡£
And in early 2001, people with Irish links were encouraged by various advertising campaigns to \ÔçÔÚ2001Ä꣬ÒòΪ¸÷ÖÖÐû´«Ô˶¯£¬Óа®¶ûÀ¼ÑªÍ³µÄÓ¢¹úÈ˶¼±»¹ÄÀøÈ¥¡°´ò¹³¡±²¢¡°×ö°®¶ûÀ¼ÈË£¬Êܹú¼ÒÈϿɡ±¡£
Around the same time, Guinness commissioned the polling company ICM to do a survey asking people if they had any Irish ancestry or saw themselves as Irish. One in four said yes, and that's where the figure actually comes from. It was reported by the BBC at the time.
Ò²¾ÍÔÚÄÇʱ£¬¼ªÄá˹ίÍÐÃñÒâµ÷²é¹«Ë¾ICMÕ¹¿ªµ÷ÑУ¬ÎÊÓ¢¹úÈËËûÃÇÊÇ·ñÓа®¶ûÀ¼×æÏÈ»ò×ÔÊÓΪ°®¶ûÀ¼ÈË¡£ËÄ·ÖÖ®Ò»µÄÊÜ·ÃÕ߸ø³öÁ˿϶¨»Ø´ð£¬Õâ¾ÍÊÇ¿ªÍ·Êý¾ÝµÄʵ¼Ê³ö´¦¡£µ±Ê±BBCÒ²±¨µÀÁË´ËÊ¡£
Of course, claiming Irish heritage in a survey isn't the same thing as being entitled to an Irish passport. So the \µ±È»£¬ÔÚµ÷²éÖбíʾ×Ô¼ºÓа®¶ûÀ¼ÑªÍ³ºÍÄõ½°®¶ûÀ¼»¤ÕÕÊÇÁ½ÂëÊ¡£ËùÒÔËÄ·ÖÖ®Ò»Õâ¸öÊý¾ÝûʲôÓá£
At this point I have to own up to a personal interest in this story. With all the coverage around Britons applying for Irish passports, a friend pointed out that I might be entitled to one - something I'd never even thought about before. ˵µ½Õ⣬ÎҵóÐÈÏ£¬ÎÒ¾õµÃÕâÊÂÓеãÒâ˼¡£ÏÖÔÚÉêÇë°®¶ûÀ¼»¤ÕÕµÄÈËÂú´ó½Ö¶¼ÊÇ£¬ÎÒÒ»¸öÅóÓÑ˵ÎÒ»òÐíÒ²Äܸ㵽һ±¾¡ª¡ªÎÒ֮ǰ²¢Î´Ïë¹ýÉêÇëʲô°®¶ûÀ¼»¤ÕÕ¡£ So do I have what it takes to be an Irish citizen? And how many others out there could also be latent Irish citizens?
ËùÒÔÎÒ¹»Ìõ¼þ¼ÓÈë°®¶ûÀ¼¹ú¼®Âð£¿Ç±ÔÚµÄÄܹ»¼ÓÈë°®¶ûÀ¼¹ú¼®µÄÓ¢¹úÈËÓÖÓжàÉÙÄØ£¿
I put in a call in to Ireland's Citizens Information service and explained that my mother was born in Belfast but had never held an Irish passport. I was born in England and have also only ever had a British passport.
ÎÒ¸ø°®¶ûÀ¼¹ú¼®ÐÅÏ¢·þÎñ´¦´òÁ˵绰£¬ÎÒ˵ÎÒĸÇ×ÊDZ´¶û·¨Ë¹ÌسöÉúµÄ£¬µ«ÊÇËý´ÓÀ´Ã»Óа®¶ûÀ¼»¤ÕÕ¡£ÎÒÔÚÓ¢¸ñÀ¼³öÉúµÄ£¬ÎÒÒ²Ö»ÓÐÒ»ÕÅÓ¢¹ú»¤ÕÕ¡£ Is that enough to qualify? ÕâÑù¹»Ìõ¼þÂð£¿
\¡°¹»°¡¡£¡±·þÎñ´¦µÄɯÂס¤µÒÁúÔڵ绰ÄÇͷ˵¡£
\would have an automatic right to Irish citizenship, which would then in turn entitle you to apply for and carry an Irish passport. Because your mother was born on the island of Ireland, she is recognised as an Irish citizen. She would be entitled to dual nationality - both British and Irish citizenship. That has been recognised and enshrined within the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.\
¡°ÄãÓÐÑ¡Ôñ¼ÓÈë°®¶ûÀ¼¹ú¼®µÄ×ÔÖ÷Ȩ£¬Äã¿ÉÒÔÉêÇë°®¶ûÀ¼»¤ÕÕ£¬ÎÒÃÇ»á°ä·¢Äã¡£ÄãĸÇ×ÔÚ°®¶ûÀ¼¾³ÄÚ³öÉú£¬Ëý¾Í±»ÊÓ×÷°®¶ûÀ¼ÈË¡£Ëý¿ÉÒÔÓµÓÐË«ÖØ¹ú¼®£¬Ò²¾ÍÊÇÓ¢¹úºÍ°®¶ûÀ¼Á½¹ú¹ú¼®¡£±´¶û·¨Ë¹ÌØÐÒéÓÐÌõ¿î¶Ô´Ë×÷³ö³ÐÈϺÍÖØÊÓÁË¡£¡± The same rules apply if you have a grandparent born on the island of Ireland. Èç¹ûÄã×æÄ¸Ò²ÊdzöÉúÔÚ°®¶ûÀ¼¾³ÄÚ£¬ËýÒ²¿ÉÒÔ¼ÓÈë°®¶ûÀ¼¹ú¼®¡£
There are a few other subtleties to the rules on getting Irish citizenship, including a change for people born after 2005.
¼ÓÈë°®¶ûÀ¼¹ú¼®»¹Óм¸¸öºÜϸ΢µÄÒªÇ󣬰üÀ¨2005Äêºó¶Ô³öÉúһʵĸı䡣 But broadly speaking, to work out how many British people are actually entitled to an Irish passport, we need to know how many people with at least one Irish parent or grandparent there are in the UK. You might think that's just a matter of looking at data from the census, but there's a hitch.
µ«´óÖÂÉϽ²£¬ÒªÅªÇå³þÓжàÉÙÓ¢¹úÈË¿ÉÒÔ»ñµÃ°®¶ûÀ¼»¤ÕÕ£¬ÎÒÃǵÃÖªµÀÓжàÉÙÓ¢¹úÈ˸¸Ä¸»òÕß׿¸¸Ä¸ÀïÖÁÉÙÓÐÒ»·½Êǰ®¶ûÀ¼ÈË¡£ÓÐÈË¿ÉÄܾõµÃÖ»Òª¿´¿´ÈË¿ÚÆÕ²éÊý¾Ý¾ÍÐÐÁË£¬µ«ÕâÖÖ·½°¸ÃæÁÙÒ»¸öÄÑÌâ¡£
\birthplace was asked,\says Bronwen Walter, emerita professor of Irish diaspora studies at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. \before and it hasn't been asked again.\
¡°³ýÁË1971ÄêÈË¿ÚÆÕ²éÎʹý±»µ÷²éÕ߸¸Ä¸µÄ³öÉúµØÍ⣬ÆäÓàÄê·ÝµÄÈË¿ÚÆÕ²é¶¼Ã»ÓÐÕâÒ»Ï¡±½£ÇÅÕò°²¸ñÀûÑdz½ð˹´óѧ°®¶ûÀ¼É¢¾ÓÓÌÌ«ÈËÑо¿Ñ§ÈÙÓþ½ÌÊÚ²¼ÀÊΡ¤ÎÖÌØ¶û˵¡£¡°1971ÄêǰºóµÄÈË¿ÚÆÕ²é¶¼²»Í³¼Æ¸¸Ä¸³öÉúµØÇé¿ö¡£¡± Walter is one of the co-authors of a detailed study into the Irish diaspora commissioned by the Irish government.
Êܰ®¶ûÀ¼Õþ¸®Î¯ÍУ¬ÎÖÌØ¶ûºÍ±ðÈËÒ»ÆðдÁ˱¾ÏêϸÑо¿°®¶ûÀ¼É¢¾ÓÓÌÌ«È˵ÄÊé¡£ Using that 1971 information, Walter and her colleagues came up with a number for second-generation Irish immigrants in Britain, trying to account for things like birth rates and changes in the number of Irish immigrants marrying outside their community.
ÀûÓÃ1971ÄêÈË¿ÚÆÕ²éµÄÐÅÏ¢£¬ÎÖÌØ¶ûºÍËýµÄͬʵóöÁËÔÚÓ¢¹úµÄµÚ¶þ´ú°®¶ûÀ¼ÒÆÃñµÄÈË¿ÚÊý£¬Ôڴ˹ý³ÌÖÐËûÃÇÊÔͼ¼ÓÈëÖîÈç³öÉúÂʺͰ®¶ûÀ¼ÒÆÃñÓëÍâ×åͨ»éÈËÊý±ä¶¯ÕâÀàÒòËØ¡£
\would have at least one Irish-born parent, but it's quite likely to be higher,\says.
Ëý˵£º¡°ÎÒ¾õµÃ¸¸Ä¸ÖÐÖÁÉÙÓÐÒ»·½Êǰ®¶ûÀ¼È˵ÄÓ¢¹úÈ˿϶¨ÓÐ1700Íò£¬Õâ¸öÊýÒ²Êǹ»ÓÐÕùÒéµÄ£¬µ«Êµ¼ÊÉÏ¿ÉÄܲ»Ö¹Õâ¸öÊý¡£
Calculating the number of third-generation immigrants is even harder, but the study authors were able to come up with an estimate using a longitudinal study.
¼ÆËãµÚÈý´ú°®¶ûÀ¼ÒÆÃñµÄÈË¿ÚÊýÉõÖÁ»¹Òª¸üÄÑ£¬²»¹ý¸ÃÑ§ÖøµÄ×÷ÕßÃÇ¿ÉÒÔÓÃ×ÝÏòÑо¿·¨¹À¼ÆÒ»¸öÊýÖµ¡£
\one particular week in 1971,\exact people were brought out again to see what had changed for them and again 1991 and that has continued.\
¡°ÕâÊÇ1971ÄêÈË¿ÚÆÕ²éÑù±¾µÄ°Ù·ÖÖ®Ò»£¬ÊÇ´Ó1971ÄêijһÐÇÆÚÄÚ³öÉúµÄÈËÖгéÈ¡³öÀ´µÄ£¬¡±ÎÖÌØ¶û½âÊ͵À¡£¡°1981ÄêÈË¿ÚÆÕ²éʱÎÒÃÇÔٴΰá³öÕâЩÈËÀ´¿´ËûÃÇÓÐʲô±ä»¯¡£È»ºóÊÊ1991Ä꣬Èç´Ë¼ÌÐøÏÂÈ¥¡£¡±
Ïà¹ØÍÆ¼ö£º