Barack Obama has one, and so has Bill Clinton, but Irish America has mainly rejected the chance to receive a certificate of Irish heritage.
However, the Irish government will press on with its Heritage Certificate scheme.
The much vaunted opportunity to prove your Irishness with an Irish Heritage Certificate has proven to be a damp squib so far.
Just 1,042 certificates have been issued across the globe despite a target audience of 60 million.
Irish Americans interviewed by IrishCentral stated the process of application with ancestral documentation need to prove eligibility was far too complicated. “I settled for a Kiss me I’m Irish T Shirt instead,” quipped on.
The poor return from the first 13 months of the scheme to prove your Irish lineage hasn’t put off its backers though.
The Irish Times newspaper reports that the Irish government has agreed to extend the contract for a second year despite the low uptake.
In an effort to boost the scheme, the rules for providing documentary evidence of Irishness have also been relaxed according to the paper.
The idea was first mooted at the Global Irish Economic Forum in Dublin in 2009.
Under the scheme the descendants of Irish citizens who do not themselves qualify for Irish citizenship can be issued with a certificate at a cost of €40.
The scheme was launched in New York in September 2011 and is managed on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs Kerry-based company Fexco.
The Irish Times reports that documents released under Ireland’s Freedom of Information Act show that, at a meeting held in January, members of the Irish Abroad Unit from the department expressed disappointment at the initial figures.
The report adds: “They said it was important to look at the scheme in the context of other schemes which do take some time to spike, sometimes even a number of years.”
After frustrations with government agencies were aired by Fexco, a draft proposal was introduced to relax the requirements to provide documentary evidence of their Irish ancestry on a trial basis.
Now applicants who do not have documentary evidence can give narrative information on their ancestors instead of providing documentation.
The paper reports that of the 1,042 certificates issued to date, 57 per cent have been issued to people living in the US, 13 per cent to those living in Australia, while nine per cent relate to those in Canada.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.curtisjohnson | Oct 31, 2012, 05:03 PM EDT
Why would declining this contrived "certificate" be a reliable barometer on Americans feelings about their Irish heritage? If anything, it's rejection is a positive indicator.
Towngate | Oct 31, 2012, 10:40 AM EDT
This apallingly low uptake must give pause to anybody who was hoping to lead 'De Diaspora' as an entity to assist in relieving Ireland's economic woes ... or promise their support for their Irish Presidential ambitions (!) - now thankfully lying in the dust along with 60 million unwanted Certificates of Irishness. At least we know what Americans REALLY feel about their Irish heritage.
IrelandNorth | Oct 31, 2012, 06:39 AM EDT
Geez! I wonder how "da Gatherin" will go?
IrelandNorth | Oct 31, 2012, 06:36 AM EDT
1,042 divided by 60,000,000 = 0.00173% Not a great take-up rate. But an optimum 100% take up rate for this ethically challenged product could have netted the Irish Government €2,400,000,000. A pretty penny to keep the IMF wolf from the civic door. Alas, Ireland's economically exiled children in America and further afield are not up for exploitation. Now they'll have to hit the 33,000 silver spooner millionaire family houselholds in the 26 counties (Census of Ireland, 2011) to pull their weight for once in their cossetted lives.
ceceann | Oct 30, 2012, 05:51 PM EDT
They do not need to relax the requirements, they need to provide a benefit. Why would any with 1/2 a brain pay €40 for a piece of paper telling them what they already know?
faberm1 | Oct 30, 2012, 01:41 PM EDT
I do not need a piece of paper from anyone to know who I am and where my people come from in the world. The Irish-born go to great lengths to let the rest of us know somehow we're "not Irish". I am sure that Israel considers her children "Jewish" wherever they happen to be in the world. I'm not an Irish citizen, but my DNA is 100% Irish! No paper needed for me. Thanks!
Tooreenagrena | Oct 30, 2012, 10:13 AM EDT
Its an insulting load of rubbish. Simply tourist propaganda. Its message is clear, 'here, you thick plastic dupe something bright and sparkly to make you feel Irish. No thanks dont need a piece of paper my parents do that for me.
barnie4001 | Oct 30, 2012, 04:33 AM EDT
A complete take on as I said when it was first advertised, why buy rubbish like that when you can get an Irish passport
curtisjohnson | Oct 29, 2012, 11:06 PM EDT
I cannot comprehend what the benefit of this piece of paper gives anyone?
seanomelb | Oct 29, 2012, 09:34 PM EDT
I've got my long birth certificate,rotunda hospital Dublin.Eiriamach has got the idea!! trying to trace 4th generation and beyond is a hard task(and expensive)
greensod | Oct 29, 2012, 05:11 PM EDT
Another slap in the face by this bunch of beggars calling themselves the Government.What we really want is our Birth right too VOTE. Possibly we may now be granted that right by Angela and the German Government who own and call all the shots for Ireland.
WoundedKnee | Oct 29, 2012, 05:03 PM EDT
If Ryan gets to be Vice Prez you'll see the Irish descending on him like flies on .... you know what.
Tom Mo | Oct 29, 2012, 04:40 PM EDT
I believe that the Certificate and $2.50 will get you a Caffe Latte at Starbucks. Serioulsy though if the documentation needed to prove eligibility is far too complicated, how the hell did Obama get his certificate? What type of documentation did he present to the schemers? His Haavaard records?
Tom Mo | Oct 29, 2012, 03:49 PM EDT
All Hail 'Cassandra Towngate!'
eiriamach | Oct 29, 2012, 03:31 PM EDT
The Irish government should consider that after they removed most of the baptism and marriage records from the churches, it became much more expensive and time-consuming to research one's ancestors. After many trips to Ireland and years of research, however, I do have dozens of records of their births, marriages, areas they lived in, and family notices from newspapers. If the government would only make the records available at reasonable cost, online, they'd bring in far more money than anyone's willing to pay for certificates that tell us what we already know. We *know* we have Irish heritage, but some of us are still missing info about some of our Irish ancestors.
Lacy | Oct 29, 2012, 02:46 PM EDT
This is kinda funny....Their giving you pedigree papers now...its funny because these irish descendants are famous for being very fanatic and obsessed with their origin....to complement it the government is papers of authenticity like a pure bread cocker spaniel...but I do see that its tied into their citizenship rules and that maybe ok...but it is still a ittle funny:)
borefield | Oct 29, 2012, 01:43 PM EDT
Who thought up that scam. I bet Clinton and Obama didn't fork over $54.00. The Irish like so many other misguided people slobbered all over Obama, begging him to acknowledge that they somehow found a distant relative that behaved badly. As a result of this so called encounter he had a pin head of Irish blood in him . Obama couldn't care less, he was totally / is disinterested until a year ago when he saw an opportunity for votes. So ridiculous .
BippyBellito | Oct 29, 2012, 11:46 AM EDT
I am a proud American of Irish ancestory that doesn't need a certificate to authenticate whom I am. My face and complexion tells all. Did Clinton or Obama pay for their certificates? There are many in Irish lore I am proud of. Those two aren't among them.
TisEyerish | Oct 29, 2012, 11:09 AM EDT
First of all, they are charging $54 for these certificates, which is absolutely outrageous. Second of all, I don't need a certificate to tell me I'm Irish...my bloodline is all I need to confirm that fact. What I did buy, however, was a square foot of land for all three of my sons and one for myself, several years ago. I gave them as Christmas gifts, with the "Deed" matted and framed. I also bought them each a bag of Irish soil to go with it. I enjoy giving off-the-wall gifts that will make them smile and laugh for years to come. Besides, we can now all claim to be Irish land-owners...it was well worth the price...and cost $5 less than this stupid certificate.
joan1954 | Oct 29, 2012, 10:48 AM EDT
There is another side to this story. Most of the information on the certificate was passed through Irish newspapers and websites. Many people in the south and southwest do not have access to the newspapers so they are at a disadvantage. I would suggest that the Irish Consular offices send a press reslease to the major newspapers in their area. Many 19th Century death certificates just say Ireland on them. Like JamieLM I know my background.
Rebelforce | Oct 29, 2012, 10:39 AM EDT
Offensive and idiotic idea that some money-grubbing, half-assed Irish government has any kind of power to bestow "Irish heritage" on anybody. Americans of Irish ancestry don't need to buy a "certificate" in order to claim Irish descent and the very notion is an insult to the memory of our immigrant ancestors who left Ireland with little but the clothes on their backs.
Billyp79 | Oct 29, 2012, 10:32 AM EDT
Hey, lower the cost significantly and you'll get a lot more takers. Way too expensive now!
johnshiel | Oct 29, 2012, 10:09 AM EDT
the phrase "buyer beware" comes quickly to mind, and seems profounder by the year, sez me...
jamieLM | Oct 29, 2012, 10:00 AM EDT
As an American whose paternal and maternal Irish ancestral lines are well documented, thanks to years of research by various family members, I'm not paying for a Certificate from the Irish govt. telling me what I already know. I also have some Welsh, Dutch, and English ancestors and I wouldn't buy a Certificate from any of those countries, either. Although I'm very proud of my considerable (more than Obama has) Irish ancestry, I think of myself as an American. I'm not passing judgment on those who do want to get a Certificate - that's their decision. WK has a good idea of how to be awarded a Certificate, rather than buying it.
Frosty38 | Oct 29, 2012, 09:51 AM EDT
I saw that and passed
Smyrnian | Oct 29, 2012, 09:24 AM EDT
WoundedKnee - Well said indeed!