I'm not British #Brexit

Hearing in the news that there has been an increase in the number British people applying for Irish passports, and even German ones (see: "Forget about Irish! Record number of Britons apply for German passports post Brexit", I wondered if the reverse could be true and if I could get a British passport. Ireland has a common travel area with Britain since 1923 long before the EU was founded, so there has never been a reason for an Irish person to have a passport going to Britain. I should state that I have no desire to hold a British passport, an Irish one is good enough for me - I'm just being curious.

Not for me!.
Image source: Wikipedia.

Both my parents were born in what was then the Irish Free State (1922-1937) which was established as a Dominion of the British Commonwealth of Nations (Ireland was not formally declared as a Republic until 1949). All four of my grandparents were born in the early 1900s in Ireland when it was then part of the United Kingdom. I wondered would either my parents and/or grandparents status allow me to get a British passport?

It seems that none of above entitles me to British citizenship. I used the WhatPassport.com website to check this out. Their response was that an application would be "Unlikely: 5%-25% - a claim is unlikely" with "no obvious route to British nationality" for me. Interestingly, they also told me that both my "parents were born (and still are) British, based on their fathers' births in the UK". 

Britain is leaving the European Union (I still can't believe they voted to leave) - so nationality is on people's minds. One of the best things about being in the EU is freedom to travel and live in any one of the 28 countries. Next week I will be travelling through six European countries (UK, France, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, and Belgium). The only place I will need a passport is crossing the English Channel between Britain and France. There's no advantage for me to have a British passport, so no disappointment in not being eligible!