What are the benefits of applying for an Irish passport and duel citizenship in Ireland?

I'm American, my Grandparents are from Ireland. I can see the pro's of getting the duel citizenship (it will offer me a great deal of job location flexibility), but what are the benefits of applying for an Irish passport? It's kind of expensive and I can't figure out what I'm ever going to need it for. Won't my American one always be suffice?

Well.. you can vote in Ireland and if you want to live there that's good. But it also opens up Europe to you (countries in the European Union especially).

If you have an Irish passport you can just hop over and go live in France without getting a visa. You can settle there on your Irish paperwork because of the treaties/laws between the EU countries. If you're just American you may find it slightly more difficult because you will need a visa to stay there for a longer period of time and I doubt you could work there legally.

You can go to France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, UK, Ireland, Germany etc.. and be treated like a citizen because of the Irish passport. It gives you a lot more oportunities if you ever wish to use it.

Irish people also get free health care in Australia for the duration of their stay. Americans don't (don't ask).

Also, in the world there are a quite a few places where Irish people are a lot more popular than Americans. *grins* I agree with what above said about Canadians and Americans. Although my friends have told me they have been kicked out of resturants for being American (speaking with those distinct accents).

One day you may have to go and live in Ireland and you will be able to move there right away. Also it is good to have a passport from another nation. Especially if you travel a lot through Europe and other countries. Nowadays the reputation of the United States is at an all time low. Many countries in the world hate us and if you travel through other countries with an Irish Passport you will be treated better in case anyone is an anti-American.

I have heard young people who have traveld through Europe in the 1990's say that they sometimes told people that they were Canadian and in France and Belguim they were treated better than when they said that they were Americans.

When you travel to a foreign country and register in the hotel you must present your passport and if you present an Irish passport you will have better treatment. This had been told to me by an airline pilot who had retired from TWA Airlines in the late 1990's and he had a lot of expreience travelling and he also was able to obtain an Irish passport due to the fact that his parents had been born in Ireland.

I tried to do the same thing that you were doing but my great-grandparents were born here and it was my great-great grandparents who came to Brooklyn from Ireland back in the 1870's so the Irish consulate will not issue me a passport because I have been too far removed in the generations form Irish Ancestry.

In my opinion becasue of the changing world you might one day have to leave the United States because the economy may become so bad and you will be glad that you can go to Ireland and live there with your Irish passport which will also entitle you to move and work anywhere else in the European Union because Ireland is a full member of the Europen Union so the benefits of having the Irish passport will outweigh the large expense of obtaining the Irish passport.

I hope this will help you make your decision.