Over 400,000 Irish passports were issued this year despite coronavirus travel restrictions in Ireland and abroad.

It means there was a 60% drop in the number of passports issued compared to last year.

Over 45,000 first time applications came in from Northern Ireland and Britain.

The oldest person to receive a new passport was 100 years old and the youngest was just two weeks old.

The most popular baby girls’ names on passport applications were Olivia, Mia and Saoirse, while Noah, Adam and Cillian topped the baby boys’ list.

The most popular surname on Irish passport applications around the world was Murphy.

A general view of passport control at Dublin Airport in 2015. Picture by: Niall Carson/PA Archive/PA Images

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the Passport Service paused operations while Level Five restrictions were in place but continued to offer a same day service for emergencies and a weekly service for urgent adult renewals.

The Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said Passport Service staff were redeployed to other public service roles as the pandemic took hold.

“I am very proud of the dedication and commitment of colleagues across my Department,” he said.

“I want to thank staff in the Passport Service who adapted to the challenges of 2020 by demonstrating great flexibility and adaptability.

“They also demonstrated the resilience of the Passport Online system by effectively clearing any backlogs when operations resumed, within 4 weeks.”

The Passport Customer Service Hub handled more than 117,000 chats through its WebChat service in 2020 and handled over 87,000 calls.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney arrives for a Cabinet meeting in Dublin Castle. Picture by: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

Minister Coveney said Passport Service staff were critical in assisting Irish citizens abroad at the beginning of the outbreak.

He said the Passport Online service remains the cheapest and most convenient way to apply for a passport.

“The online service is extremely easy to use. It has won awards for its user-friendly process, including a NALA award for the use of plain English. Passport Online is for everyone from new-born babies to 100-year-olds,” he said.

“The processing of an online application is four times as fast as a paper application.

“In addition, the use of Passport Online can facilitate social distancing, given that a renewal application for an adult does not require the signature of a witness.”

The embassies and consulates that received the highest numbers of Irish passport applications around the world were Pretoria, New York, San Francisco, Abu Dhabi, Canberra, Ottawa, Chicago, Sydney, Paris and Washington.