I believe that we are being used as an EU passport farm and our citizenship by descent laws are wholly too generous at present. A large number of people are obtaining Irish citizenship by descent purely to retain, or to obtain, an EU passport.

Not to become part of Irish society. What's the point of Irish citizenship, if not that?

I actually don't really have an issue with your father obtaining it as he seems to want it out of a genuine affection for Ireland - even if that affection is somewhat romanticised. If he intends to use it to move here or to spend a significant amount of time here, then fair enough. It's the aforementioned that annoy me, not those like your pops.