Brexit: Irish passport applications by British citizens have rocketed 40% since EU referendum

Nearly 65,000 Britons applied for an Irish passport last year

A majority of the applications followed the Brexit referendum result (Getty)

The number of British citizens applying for an Irish passport soared in the wake of the Brexit referendum result.

Official statistics published by the Irish foreign ministry show 64,996 Britons applied last year.

A majority of the applications followed the European referendum, with 40 per cent more Brits applying since the Brexit result compared to the same period in 2015.

Many applications for travel documents after the referendum also came from Northern Ireland, which saw an increase of 27 per cent over 2015 to nearly 67,972.

Britons can apply for Irish citizenship if they have an Irish parent, even if they have never lived in the country, while Northern Ireland citizens can hold both a British and an Irish passport.

Dual citizenship would allow them to keep their EU citizenship after Britain leaves the EU.

Overall, Ireland granted 733,060 passports in 2016, a new record and an increase of nine per cent from 2015.

Irish foreign minister Charlie Flanagan said "2016 was an exceptionally busy year" with a "strong increase in demand for passports in the first half of the year".