Is there any advantage to getting a British passport?

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

I was born in Britain long enough ago that I am British just by being born there however I have always used an Irish passport as I grew up in Ireland and my parents were Irish. I've never bothered to get a British passport, but I'm wondering if I should just in case they decide to retrospectively change the criteria and also change the free movement agreement between the UK and Ireland. I know that it's unlikely that those things will happen, but tbh it doesn't seem all that much less likely than Boris being Prime Minister seemed five years ago.

Possibly relevant to my decision, I am currently living in Ireland but lived 20 years of my adult life in the UK and could possibly live there again. My DC were born in the UK, they are British and are not automatically eligible for Irish citizenship because, although both parents are Irish citizens, neither of us were born in Ireland so can't pass the citizenship on. We could possibly have them naturalised Irish if needed. It's very possible that one or both of them will end up living in the UK as adults.

I guess I'm thinking that I should just do it, but there'll probably be an interview and loads of faffing and I'm not sure if it's really necessary.

If you can have both and your DCs have British passports it would probably make more sense to all 'match' if that makes sense.

If any of your parents were born anywhere on the Ireland of Ireland (so your children's grandparents) your children can get an Irish passport, I would definitely do this. If you were born in Britain (before 1983 I think) you are British, passport or no passport.

The Irish citizenship thing is complicated, mostly because they are adopted and not born to me, and on the whole naturalisation is likely to be the easiest option for them if they want to be Irish.

Are you saying that you are a British citizen then? If they decide to strip you of your citizenship then having a British passport isn’t going to help you.

No, I suppose not. Although it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that they could retrospectively change the right to British citizenship unless the person has already actively taken up the citizenship eg by having a British passport.

I’d do it just as an insurance policy really. I have recently secured my Irish citizenship for the same reason (brought up in England to one Irish parent/ one english one). I don’t know if I’ll ever use it or need it but with the whole EU mess decided it would be nice to guarantee EU citizenship. Mine cost about €290 to get on the foreign births register, it would depend on the costs of doing it for you I guess but for me that was worth it as insurance in case rules change.

OP A quick Google shows that adopted children are treated exactly the same as those born to you. If you or your DH have a parent born on the island of Ireland, and you claimed your Irish citizenship before your children were born, then they are Irish citizens and are entitled to a passport. You need to register them as a foreign birth first.

As for adoption, other than providing adoption papers as evidence the process for getting Irish citizenship is exactly the same. I have recently got my dd here n the Foreign Birth Register and, although adoption is not a part of her story, as it were, I noticed that it seemed to be exactly the same - provide certificated proof of the connection.
I needed to prove the citizenship chain between her and my Irish born mother with certificates (including marriage certificates for mine and mum's change of surname through marriage- sorry MN). I also needed to know my grandmother's maiden name.
I would get any citizenship you would both use.
I'm actually entitled to citizenship of two other countries but only have the ones my husband (also Irish born parent) and dd would use.

Adopted children are treated the same as birth children, I’m a british citizen, when my sons adoption order was signed he became a british citizen. Ireland has the same process.

Even though they are adopted they can get Irish citizenship, they don't discriminate. Would make sense to all have both passports if possible

Although it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that they could retrospectively change the right to British citizenship unless the person has already actively taken up the citizenship eg by having a British passport.

I think this is highly unlikely.

A passport doesn't and never has conferred nationality, which is acquired on the basis of where you were born and who your parents were.

I don't think an Irish citizen living in Ireland has a specific need for a British passport - and if you do, you can just get one at a later date.

One of my dual national children no longer has a valid British passport (no need as he has two other forms of photo ID; and it's expensive). The only reason I might renew it is if the renewal process itself risks becoming more complex the longer we leave it. But this doesn't apply to you as you've never had a U.K. passport - which presumably means it's going to be a PITA to get one.