Day trips to N. Ireland from ROI ?out of state.

[Irishspouse]

Hello,
You have all been so helpful so far. Quick question, my spouse is an Irish citizen from N. Ireland but we live in Donegal. When I first arrived in Ireland I obtained an EEA family permit for 6 months for the UK (before they left the EU) so that I could visit my in laws and pop over the border (we live in Donegal so live very close to N. Ireland) to see his friends etc. These were just day trips and I have evidence on my statements that I was there.
According to proof of residency N. Ireland debit card POC are counted, but then do these days also mean I was out of the state (yet was back in ROI the same day) and so need to be removed from the calculator if they add up to more than 6 weeks. I’m a bit confused about this as I’m presently not including them as out of the country as technically, they were on the “Island of Ireland”.
Am I over thinking it?

[meself2]

AFAIK departure/arrival days doesn't count, so you're fine.

[Vadrar]

Hello,
You have all been so helpful so far. Quick question, my spouse is an Irish citizen from N. Ireland but we live in Donegal. When I first arrived in Ireland I obtained an EEA family permit for 6 months for the UK (before they left the EU) so that I could visit my in laws and pop over the border (we live in Donegal so live very close to N. Ireland) to see his friends etc. These were just day trips and I have evidence on my statements that I was there.
According to proof of residency N. Ireland debit card POC are counted, but then do these days also mean I was out of the state (yet was back in ROI the same day) and so need to be removed from the calculator if they add up to more than 6 weeks. I’m a bit confused about this as I’m presently not including them as out of the country as technically, they were on the “Island of Ireland”.
Am I over thinking it?

If you spend any hours of the day in the Republic that counts as a day in. So a day trip to NI doesn’t (with evening back in ROI) is not an absence. Especially as you are living in Donegal - they won’t care.

However it’s worth noting that POS in NI only count for spouses of Irish nationals living in NI. Anytime there is reference to ‘island of Ireland’ or NI - it’s only for spouses living in the north. Don’t count them as proof of your residency, you’ll need 3 POS in the Republic per month.