Yes, you need to naturalise as a British citizen before you can apply for a passport Citizenship isn't awarded for fulfilling part of the criteria (residency & being possession of Indefinite Leave to Remain) you have to apply for it As Irish citizens we are considered to 'permanently settled' (in possession of Indefinite Leave to Remain) from the day we set foot in the UK so we don't need to go through the formality of applying for ILR but we must fulfil the residency criteria of 5 years & provide the paperwork to prove this as well as taking the Life in the UK test, there might be a few other hoops to jump through as well but I'm not sure what they If you just need a passport or need it renewed just ring the Irish Embassy to request an application form for a passport - I found the dedicated line was always busy when I was ringing so I rang the Embassy switchboard & requested a copy of the application form.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.