Cliff, if you're reading Fodors I thought you might get a kick out of this.
I got a call from the Irish Embassy today saying they were wondering if I was going to be sending in my materials soon "because it's been about 10 days since we contacted you." I had to bite my tongue to refrain from pointing out it had been more than two YEARS since I contacted them and sent in my materials, and that much of the past week had been spent in driving around replacing items they had lost. But I didn't say anything.

THEN she says "Oh, did I mention I'll need an original of your parents' marriage certificate?" Say WHAAAAT??
When I told her I didn't know whether my parents HAD the original (they're in their mid-80s, for heaven's sake!) or would even turn it over to me, she said "Well, right then. Not a problem. Forget that."
So, my continuing wishes for good luck....

Oh my...

I think she may be just making this up as she goes along. It just all seems so odd. YOUR parents marriage certificate. You already have citizenship. And what if they weren't married. So much of the material seems beyond my limited sense of logic. We're pulling all of my wife's things back together as well, but I still don't get that. This really is far more extensive than the US INS was to work with.

Be cool though. You don't want to get those paper pushers riled. Worth wading through it in the end. Still can't believe they had the nerve to be impatient though. Once you're a citizen, I wonder how hard it is to get one of those jobs.... hmmm.... :)

Horrors!!!!! St. Cirq, you are Irish????

That explains everything. No wonder we don't get along (and I thought it was because you were a Frog). Being Irish, you are my natural enemy. :)

Please don't tell me you are a Catholic too. Learning you are Irish is enough for one evening.

God Save The Queen,
John G.

Dear John (where have I heard that before?):

I am half Irish and half English. Now put that in your pipe and smoke it ;)England, however, does not allow me to obtain citizenship, so I guess you lucked out on that score.

And no, I am not Catholic. Nor Anglican.

My wife's got the half English thing going too. Both her dad's parents (great people by the way, her grandfather wants us to visit his home on Java) were born there.

I'll just admit I'm all German now, complete with 4 German speaking grandparents, and everyone can toss the remainder of the daggers my way. :D