Yes I was award. Thanks. I think the issue here is more to do with who owns the child. As John Harris points out you give this right away when you register the child. As long as you abide by their rules the state will not take the child away from you. The state in Ireland is not a republic. It has never been. The Oireachtas which contains both houses makes the rules for the state. The Oireachtas is a corporation for the benefit of king george the fifth and his heirs thereafter. In other words it is a corporation under queen elizabeth.