Irish Grandfather not on Dad's Birth Certificate

I have a dilemma in trying to obtain an Irish passport.

My dad was raised by another man who is listed on his birth certificate. My English grandma had an affair with an Irishman so my dad was basically illegitimate and born out of wedlock.

Is there any hope for me getting added to the relevant register? The only proof I have of his true parentage is in my Irish Grandfather's will, which names my father as his son and heir. Getting my grandfather's birth certificate shouldn't be a problem.

MrMulhare wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 17, 2023 4:03 pm

I have a dilemma in trying to obtain an Irish passport.

My dad was raised by another man who is listed on his birth certificate. My English grandma had an affair with an Irishman so my dad was basically illegitimate and born out of wedlock.

Is there any hope for me getting added to the relevant register? The only proof I have of his true parentage is in my Irish Grandfather's will, which names my father as his son and heir. Getting my grandfather's birth certificate shouldn't be a problem.

Nobody but the department will be able to give a reliable answer on this, but it will be tough to get an approval out of it.

Was your father listed as a son on your grandfathers death cert (if passed)? Was he listed on your grandmother’s husband death cert as a son? If yes to the former and no to the latter I’d add that to your grandfather’s will along with an affidavit. Is your grandmother still alive to sign an affidavit about her son’s birth father? Did your grandmother’s husband mention your father in his will indicating he wasn’t his son?

I think you may need all these things to overcome the fact of who is listed on your birth cert, and it still may not be enough.

Thank you for getting back to me. It really sounds like an uphill battle.

The only evidence I have is the will. I don't know if he's listed as his son on the death certificate but can find out. The grandmother died long ago and my dad's legal dad never disowned him. It's a messy family secret tbh.

At best I think I'd have the following evidence.
Granddad's birth certificate.
Granddad's will naming father as his son.
Possibly a death certificate naming father as his son.

I also did an ancestry test and am linked to a cousin with the same surname but I'm sure that counts for nothing..

MrMulhare wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 17, 2023 4:51 pm

Thank you for getting back to me. It really sounds like an uphill battle.

The only evidence I have is the will. I don't know if he's listed as his son on the death certificate but can find out. The grandmother died long ago and my dad's legal dad never disowned him. It's a messy family secret tbh.

At best I think I'd have the following evidence.
Granddad's birth certificate.
Granddad's will naming father as his son.
Possibly a death certificate naming father as his son.

I also did an ancestry test and am linked to a cousin with the same surname but I'm sure that counts for nothing..

Submit what you can find and see what they say. I wouldn’t get your hopes up- but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Commercial DNA tests aren’t going to carry any weight. Even court-ordered and court-recognised DNA tests haven’t had a great history of success, but that would be the route if you wanted DNA considered.