An organisation seeking to revoke Irish citizenship from Irish-born children of "an illegal immigrant or failed asylum-seeker" has said it will continue to seek an amendment to the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill.
The amendment was not taken on board by the Dail committee dealing with the relevant section of the Bill on Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for the Immigration Control Platform said it would now seek to have its amendment withdrawing automatic citizenship from children under six of failed asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants considered at the report stage of the Bill.
"We are extremely disappointed that the amendment to Section 3 [on Irish citizenship by birth and by descent] was not accepted," said Ms Aine Ni Chonaill, PRO for the Immigration Control Platform.
"The outcome as it stands is to copper-fasten the situation where every child born on the island is an Irish citizen, including the child of an illegal immigrant or failed asylum-seeker."
Ireland is the only EU state which confers automatic citizenship on all children born on the island, according to Ms Ni Chonaill. "This puts Ireland in a uniquely vulnerable situation. Maternity hospitals have already flagged the apparent arrival of mothers intent on gaining citizenship for their children".
In June the Department of Justice wrote to the Immigration Control Platform saying any such amendment would be at odds with the Constitution, which says it is the entitlement of everyone born on the island to be part of the Irish nation.