Nana1,
Regardless of whether your application was submitted in Sept 2016 or was submitted recently, you will most likely be expected to follow the latest application process (which requires that you submit your original passport instead of a certified copy) using the latest version of the form introduced back in Aug 2016. See
http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Form%208 ... g%2016.pdf.
As others have already advised, you need to get your solicitor to fess up and tell you if he has even sent the application out, and if he has, then when exactly he sent it out (with evidence)!
1) If your solicitor has not sent out the application yet, then ask him
not to send it out. Prepare a fresh application in conformance with the latest procedure.
2) If your solicitor has already sent out the application, then you will probably need to wait for some communication back from INIS before you reapply, in order to avoid a confusing mess that a second concurrent application might create. Or, you could also contact them in a few weeks yourself to explain your situation and ask if it's okay to send in additional documents (your original passport, for example) that the latest application process requires.
If it gets to the point where you need to create a fresh application, I would avoid doing it through a solicitor again. The application form is really simple to complete on your own and putting the documentation together is also straightforward. Also, it seems from multiple posts on this forum that applications made through solicitors generally take longer to be processed. For the parts that need a witness or for documents that need certification, yes, you can use
any solicitor. Apart from this, do everything yourself to avoid further delays.