A record number of decisions on Irish citizenship has been made this year, Department of Justice figures show.
Official data regarding applications indicate that more than 30,000 citizenship decisions have been made, up from 20,000 last year and nearly double the total for 2022.
More than 6,000 people were due to be granted Irish citizenship at seven ceremonies held at the INEC in Killarney, Co Kerry, on Monday and Tuesday.
The ceremonies involve applicants from 140 countries living in the 32 counties on the island of Ireland being conferred with Irish citizenship. Of those being granted citizenship, people originally from India represent the highest number, at 1,147, followed by the UK (636), Brazil (609) and Romania (494).
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Of the counties in which these people are based, Co Fermanagh has the lowest number, at fewer than five, followed by Co Tyrone (eight). Dublin has the highest number – 2,836 – followed by Cork (723), Kildare (504) and Galway (327).
More than 191,000 people have received Irish citizenship since 2011, when citizenship ceremonies were introduced. There have been 24 ceremonies this year, an increase on 15 last year and six in 2022, which was during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the department, significant changes have been introduced in its citizenship division to speed up the application process, including the introduction of an online application system, online payments and electronic vetting.
It is envisaged that in future a decision will be made within 12 months on most applications based on residency. However, the department said that because “no two applications are the same”, some take longer than others to process.
Applicants are required to have five years’ reckonable residence in Ireland before making an application. They also must be of “good character” and must intend residing in Ireland after being granted citizenship.
Speaking in advance of this week’s ceremonies, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee congratulated Ireland’s newest citizens as well as their friends and families.
“I encourage our new citizens to continue to contribute to building inclusive communities. In forging connections between our cultures, we can enrich our social fabric,” she said. “Our new citizens play an essential role fuelling growth in our economy. They also contribute immensely to industries where we have labour shortages like construction, agriculture and healthcare. They also make our workforce more diverse and inclusive.”
Among those granted citizenship at the Gleneagle INEC Arena in Killarney was Sr Yahaira Guadalope, from Mexico, who was accompanied by Sr Rosa Lilia and Sr Maureen Embe from Nigeria. The nuns, members of the Clarissan Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament order, run a Catholic residence for third-level students in Stillorgan.
“We come to Killarney and we get famous,” said Sr Maureen, whose first name is a result of the influence of Irish missionaries to Nigeria and who became an Irish citizen in 2022.
Alongside the sisters, was “Miss Europe Continental, Venezuela” Johacny Villaneueva, accompanied by her husband, German national Serkan Akgun, from Frankfurt, both of whom work as IT engineers in Dublin.
“Ireland is where love is born,” Mr Akgun said, explaining that this is because he met Ms Villaneueva, his “dream woman”, in Dublin.
Usually citizenship ceremonies are attended by a Government minister. However, no minister was available due to the election.
Head of citizenship with the Department of Justice Darragh Brennan instead spoke and told the crowd that the word for citizen in Irish was “saoránach”, which stemmed from the word “saor”, meaning free.
“Today you all are free citizens of Ireland,” Mr Brennan said.
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