February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
While there is no doubt that relations between the two countries are especially close, it is always a good idea never to take everything for granted, or to risk letting some aspects of the relationship drift, or fall into outright neglect.
That said, some of the recommendations contained in the review can be implemented easily enough, while others will require the cooperation of the U.S. For this review, crucially, was a unilateral exercise and it remains to be seen how some of the aspirations and recommendations are matched, or otherwise dealt with, by Washington.
Clearly, the stated intention in the review of seeking a bilateral visa arrangement with Washington is especially welcome.
Such an arrangement would be precisely what it implies: a bilateral deal that would allow a freer flow of Irish citizens to the United States, and greater access for U.S. citizens who want to live and work in Ireland which, in part because of European Union regulations and strictures, has not been an easily accessible destination for Americans in recent years.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s announcement that Americans with Irish great grand-parents will be allowed pursue Irish citizenship after living and working in Ireland for a required period of time is also a positive move.
This is a unilateral gesture, though not a process that will be necessarily simple. It sounds rather like the revised rules for American spouses of Irish citizens which came into force a few years ago.
While there was a time when marrying an Irish citizen would open the way for a U.S. citizen to obtain Irish citizenship without having to leave the U.S., the new rules require a move to Ireland and a period of residence there.
All in all, the review holds the potential for greater freedom of movement between both countries, which is only appropriate given the closeness, now reaffirmed, between the island republic and the continental one.