Custody - American Mom / Irish Dad

[nonnie1]

A female friend of mine has a 5 year old son who was born in Ireland and has an Irish dad. She moved back to the US shortly after the child was born and has raised the child in the US with the dad coming to the US to visit and also to take him to Ireland for a couple weeks at a time. This past summer she and the father agreed that the boy could stay in Ireland for a year with his dad while she goes to school so that she can get a better job to support her son.
The father now wants her to sign over custody of the child, claiming that in Ireland he can not act as his legal parent without her giving him custody. He claims that he cannot even enroll him in school even though he is listed on the birth certificate as father. She is beginning to feel as though the father will refuse to return the boy after the school year as they agreed to. I told her not to sign anything, but does she need to be contacting an Irish lawyer? How easy will it be for the father to get custody if that is what he is trying to do?
Please point us in the right direction. My friend is freaking out that she might lose her son.

Do not sign that unless legal counsel is involved...and even then be careful.

She can sign any school papers etc. t hat are needed.

If she signs and it is court filed, she will have to go to court to reverse it!

[Gbyte]

If she signs over custody for the year and he wants his child to stay there, the child will likely end up staying there. Legal counsel is CRITICAL. But if she wants to maintain custody...she shouldn't do this.