Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Passport expired - travelling Saturday

101 replies

inarightstatetonight · 19/05/2015 23:11

Sorry, posting here for traffic. NC as have a number of people now know about this situation.

Can anyone advise?

My dc's passport expired last year - I thought it was this year and it was only when I was checking in online with airline that I realised.

We're planning to travel to Southern Ireland with Ryanair on Saturday. It seems that it's not possible to renew a child's passport in a day and that Ryanair insists on passports for all travellers.

A few people have told me that they've renewed child passports in recent years at a premium, one day appointment, but everything i've read online suggests that this isn't possible.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? I'll call the passport office first thing, but I'm not holding out much hope.

TIA

OP posts:
Original poster
inarightstatetonight · 20/05/2015 13:09

Sorry, it was me that used the term 'southern Ireland' first. It was, exactly as badtime said to make a quick distinction between Northern Ireland and Eire/Ireland as I was inarightstatetonight last night. I was trying to skip a few posts asking me whether I was travelling to Northern Ireland or Ireland...

Sorry if this upset anyone. Obviously this wasn't my intention.

Roomba, how awful for you, what a sad and stressful situation for you. I'm so grateful that I've managed to sort something out, even though it's very costly. Yes, lesson learnt the hard way here about passports too.

OP posts:
DuelingFanjo · 20/05/2015 13:11

Slightly off topic but I am told that Eire is offensive too... Should it just be Ireland or the republic of Ireland?

madreloco · 20/05/2015 13:15

Eire is daft and annoying if you are speaking english. You wouldn't say you were going to Deutschland or Espagna if you were having a conversation in english.

It's just Ireland. One word, in english. I don't see why the struggle with it?

badtime · 20/05/2015 13:17

It is properly called 'Ireland', and when there is no confusion that is what you should call it.

SoonToBeSix · 20/05/2015 13:19

Flippen heck madreloco do you want some vinegar for that chip?

madreloco · 20/05/2015 13:20

What chip? You can't get the name right of the nearest foreign country and thats somehow my problem? Hmm

badtime · 20/05/2015 13:27

Possibly because you don't acknowledge that there are reasons to use qualifiers in certain circumstances. There really are, you know.

badtime · 20/05/2015 13:29

(Incidentally, I would call Donegal 'the west', but a lot of people from Great Britain may not have a good grasp of Irish geography.)

TheAnswerIsYes · 20/05/2015 13:32

Madreloco, why the struggle to understand why Southern was used to differentiate? Get over it.

madreloco · 20/05/2015 13:33

There really aren't, in every day conversations. There is no reason at all to ever use Eire or "Southern Ireland". If you are using them as qualifiers you are using them wrongly anyway.
You might call Donegal the West, but its right up there at the North

Floggingmolly · 20/05/2015 13:37

To most people outside Ireland, madreloco, Ireland is divided into Northern Ireland, and Southern Ireland. It's just a handy reference; it doesn't mean anything much at all.
I'm from Dublin, and I've been known to use the term when speaking to non Irish people.

Songlark · 20/05/2015 13:38

Donegal is part of the republic though.

badtime · 20/05/2015 13:39

I am from Antrim, though. Why wouldn't I call it the west?

And there may not be reasons in your everyday conversations, but in mine there may well be, and there sure as hell are when someone is saying where they are travelling to!

chaletdays · 20/05/2015 13:39

I agree that Southern Ireland sounds strange to Irish ears and is technically incorrect but it's obvious that the OP was trying to differentiate between the UK and Ireland, both of which have counties on the Island of Ireland.

worldgonecrazy · 20/05/2015 13:39

If it helps anyone else, I sent off for DD's passport to be renewed and it came back in 4 days. I didn't even use the Fast-track service, just made sure that all the paperwork was correct. I actually got a text to say my passport was being delivered the day after it had arrived in the post! Very impressive service.

madreloco · 20/05/2015 14:05

To most people outside Ireland, madreloco, Ireland is divided into Northern Ireland, and Southern Ireland. It's just a handy reference; it doesn't mean anything much at all.

I disagree with your assertion that most people outside of Ireland are idiots who can't name the country.
It's generally only the British that have a problem, and thats only because they are totally clueless about Ireland.

badtime · 20/05/2015 14:08

Or maybe because they are the only ones that:

a) Realise Northern Ireland is separate; and
b) Are likely to have to draw a distinction.

JessieMcJessie · 20/05/2015 14:09

From Wikipedia:

The Constitution of Ireland, adopted in 1937, provides that "the name of the State is ire, or, in the English language, Ireland". Article 2 of the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 states, "It is hereby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland." The 1948 Act does not name the state as "Republic of Ireland", because to have done so would have put it in conflict with the Constitution.

The government of the United Kingdom used the name "Eire" (without the diacritic), and, from 1949, "Republic of Ireland", for the state, it was not until the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that it used the name "Ireland".

As well as "Ireland", "ire" or "the Republic of Ireland", the state is also referred to as "the Republic", "Southern Ireland" or "the South". In an Irish republican context it is often referred to as "the Free State" or "the 26 Counties".

I had no idea that "Republic of Ireland" was not constitutionally correct and had not been used by the British since the Good Friday Agreement. I stand corrected.

Interestingly the entry also says that it is "referred to" as Southern Ireland but I think that is just reflecting widespread incorrect terminology employed by people who think that the opposite of "Northern Ireland" must be "Southern Ireland". The problem with that is that it is probably not politic to name the country by reference to its relationship to a disputed territory. To convey the point that you were trying to make I think I'd have said "we're travelling to Ireland (not Northern Ireland)..."

nauticant · 20/05/2015 14:10

The part of the island of Ireland that isn't part of the UK.

madreloco · 20/05/2015 14:22

Only British people see it as a problem. Just say you're going to Ireland if you're going to Ireland. If you're going to Northern Ireland you're still within your own bloody borders.

Seriously, stop making stupid distinctions. Nobody cares about your take on the geography. Basic manners dictate you use the name of a country that the people of that country tell you to, same as you do with people. It really is that simple. Stop being a dick about it.

badtime · 20/05/2015 14:29

Remember when you suggested everyone 'look at a map'? I suggest you do the same.

If you do, you might learn that 'Ireland' is the name of an island that lies to the west of Great Britain. This island has been called Ireland much longer than the state, also called 'Ireland', which makes up part of its area.

The other part of its area is a place called 'Northern Ireland', which, unsurprisingly, is the northern part of Ireland.

Stop being a dick about it.

knittingdad · 20/05/2015 14:32

madreloco - It could be worse. Someone could have referred to Northern Ireland as Ulster...

inarightstate - I hope you and the DC have a fabulous time in Ireland. They've had some marvellous sunny weather at times in the last two weeks.

GREYCROW · 20/05/2015 15:08

Bit late now but I fly regularly with my children between Dublin and Birmingham/Gatwick, with photographic ID for me (driving license) and birth certs with Aerlingus.

BitOutOfPractice · 20/05/2015 15:08

This is all very helpful to folk clicking on this thread for last minute passport advice

Op I hope it all goes smoothly for you

madreloco · 20/05/2015 15:21

If you do, you might learn that 'Ireland' is the name of an island that lies to the west of Great Britain. This island has been called Ireland much longer than the state, also called 'Ireland', which makes up part of its area.

Oddly enough, I knew that. However if you engage your brain before you type, you'd realise that is immaterial to the actual issue. Stop pretending to be clever and confusing the point.

For the hard of thinking: countries have things we call NAMES. The NAME of the COUNTRY being discussed here is IRELAND. We don't name the landmasses we visit, we don't assign them our own makey-uppey names based on our poor grasp of geography, we don't have a discussion of the politics every time we talk about where we are getting a flight to. We just use the actual, official name of the country.

If this is a problem, please don't come. Really. Dont come.