In 2004, voters in the Republic of Ireland supported a
constitutional amendment removing the automatic right
to Irish citizenship by birth in favor of granting citizenship
through a combination of 'blood' and residence rights. The
referendum attracted enormous public attention, especially
to the perceived attempt to restrict citizenship claims arising
from asylum seekers with Irish hom children. Significant
scholarly attention has also been paid to the role of the Irish
state, and the relationship between the state and 'race'. This
article critically reviews this literature and goes beyond it in
several ways: first, we re-open discussion of Irish citizenship
through a critical examination of its legal underpinnings;
second, we trace over the public debates in finer detail; and,
third, we show the ways in which Irish citizenship is being
reconfigured by broader international forces
