Lord of the Rings star Dominic Monaghan says 'Brexit was a con' and urges others to take action

Actor Dominic Monaghan revealed he was able to apply for an Irish passport as he slammed Brexit 'a con.' The Lord of the Rings star, who played hobbit Merry in the film franchise, took to Instagram to urge others who can to do the same.

The 47-year-old was born in Berlin, Germany but moved to Stockport at the age of 11. Dominic has lived in Los Angeles for almost two decades now.

Sharing a photo of himself holding his red Irish passport with his 556k followers, the actor explained his 'family history' meant he could apply for the document. He wrote: "#brexit was a con, I haven’t heard ONE good thing about it, lies lies lies, it’s important to build bridges NOT walls, I reject completely the idea of separating from Europe and not being part of that group anymore, sharing trade, ideas, and building the future together as a collective instead of clinging onto some bizarre idea that the British empire is still “a thing”.

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He continued: "I am so DELIGHTED due to my family history I was able to apply for an Irish passport giving me back the rights that were taken from me due to the Brexit vote. If you can do the same I would encourage you to."

A number of changes have been ushered in since the UK left the EU in 2020. The withdrawal saw British citizens' EU citizenship and free movement rights ended. Those rights had enabled them to visit, live, work or study in an EU Member State without needing a visa.

Holidaymakers have had holidays ruined since Brexit, with new passport rules also put in place. Non-EU members travelling to the Schengen Area must have at least three months left on their passport, while the document must have been issued in the past 10 years - regardless of its expiry date.

Elsewhere, a second season of one of Dominic's projects has recently been ordered. The actor voices Professor James Moriarty in the Audible fictional podcast Moriarty: The Silent Order, which is set in the Sherlock Holmes universe.

Joining Dominic and Phil LaMarr as Sherlock Holmes in the new season is Helen Mirren, Anya Chalotra, Ross McCall and Arielle Goldman.

The 10-episode podcast first debuted in July 2022. Fans will have to wait a while longer for the new season, which drops on November 9.

After living in America for almost 20 years now, the actor admitted to the Manchester Evening News in 2021 that he was hanging onto his Mancunian accent by a thread, but it was “a bit all over the place” now.