![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/4880880_9_articleinlinemobile_citizenship_20killarney_20monday_20037.jpg\" "\\"New")
New Irish citizens stand for the national anthem.<\/p>\nLittle Irish flags waved across a packed auditorium in Killarney at one of six ceremonies which will grant approximately 5,200 people Irish citizenship.<\/p>\n
Applicants from more than 132 countries will make a declaration of loyalty to the State and become Irish citizens at the INEC Killarney on Monday and Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Keith Wood, former Irish and Munster rugby player now TV pundit, attended the ceremony with his wife Nicola, originally from the UK, who became an Irish citizen today.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found it strangely emotional,\u201d Mr Wood said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of anger globally, and this was something that was bringing it back down to what it is to be Irish, it was pretty cool.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
New Irish citizens stand for the national anthem.<\/p>\n
Nicola Wood has been living in Ireland for 17 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time coming. All my boys have gone to school here,” she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo this completes the family unit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a lovely ceremony. The words were perfect.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mrs Wood said that Irish citizenship will \u201cdefinitely make travelling easier.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was always in the long queue going through the airport,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe [Keith Wood] won\u2019t have to wait for me anymore!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayesha Mustaq, originally from Chennai, India, was granted citizenship today after being in Ireland for six years.<\/p>\n
She now lives in Ballincollig, Cork with her three-year-old daughter and her husband.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe came to Ireland because of the inclusivity here. And because it is such a peaceful country to be in,\u201d Ayesha said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy husband and I are from various religious backgrounds and that doesn\u2019t matter here at all. We\u2019re treated as equal. And it\u2019s the best place to raise a child.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel so glad today. We don\u2019t have to take visas anymore to travel and my family all have the same citizenship. That\u2019s a big relief.\u201d But it is also slightly bittersweet for Ayesha, who works in IT for an Irish bank, because to take Irish citizenship, she had to renounce her Indian citizenship.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy today but it\u2019s mixed emotions. Underneath I\u2019m Indian,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The family was granted citizenship just days after the government announced plans to tighten migration policy, with stricter rules for citizenship and family reunification to be introduced.<\/p>\n
Minister of State with responsibility for Migration, Colm Brophy attended the ceremony and commended the new Irish citizens for their contribution to the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking around this room, I see more than smiles and proud faces. I see stories. I see courage, charisma, ambition and hope.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am aware that for many of you here today, the journey to Irish citizenship has been one of great personal effort and sacrifice,\u201d Minister Brophy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIreland understands migration deeply. For centuries, Irish people left our shores in search of safety, employment and new opportunities.”<\/p>\n
Migration is now seen in our hospitals and schools, in our farms and factories, in tech hubs and shops, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“And most importantly, it is seen in our local communities \u2013 where you have brought refreshing energy and new dreams to villages, towns and cities right across this island.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have made Ireland a more diverse, compassionate and culturally rich place, and for this, we thank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/4880886_8_articleinlinemobile_citizenship_20killarney_20monday_20028.jpg\" "\\"The")
The packed INEC on Monday.<\/p>\n
One woman wiped a tear from her eye as the harp was played during the ceremony.<\/p>\n
The Irish tricolour, co-opted by far-right and anti-migrant groups in recent months, stood tall on the stage, once again the symbol of inclusivity that it was designed to be, originally representing a longed-for peace and union between Catholic and Protestant communities in Ireland.<\/p>\n
Strangers turned to their neighbours in the INEC auditorium and shook hands as they became Irish citizens.<\/p>\n
As people streamed out of the auditorium, some remained to take selfies in the hall to capture and preserve their first moments as Irish citizens.<\/p>\n
Wearing a green blazer emblazoned with shamrocks, Albin Scaria, a pharmaceutical scientist and musician, originally from India, said he felt \u201cblessed\u201d to receive citizenship today.<\/p>\n
Albin came to Ireland in 2018 to study a Masters in pharmaceutical sciences with Trinity College Dublin.<\/p>\n
\u201cI researched Ireland and the culture and the music, everything was so awesome for me. It was a place I always wanted to visit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really blessed to find my course here. And pharmaceuticals is such a big sector here with a lot of companies and investment and expansions in research. So that\u2019s why I chose Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019m a musician as well. And when I visited the pubs I would see people playing the Irish music and I fell in love with it. So I started playing with the local bands here and learning the different genres.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Albin is now learning Irish tunes on the tin whistle.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday I am so blessed that I can call myself an Irish citizen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you to the Irish government and the Irish people for receiving me as one of their own,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Migration](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/4880877_9_articleinlinemobile_citizenship_20killarney_20monday_20044.jpg\" "\\"Migration")
Migration minister Colm Brophy with new Irish citizens Mirella Lucas De Carvalho and Caroline Nogueira Lourence.<\/p>\n
IT professional Xiao Wan Fing wore a bright green and gold hat that her sister-in-law gave her for today\u2019s ceremony.<\/p>\n
Xiao, originally from central China, south of the Yellow River, has been in Ireland for six years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI followed my husband here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Her British-born husband, a software developer working in the gaming sector, became an Irish citizen last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very excited. We have a baby here so I\u2019m the last one to get Irish rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will feel more like home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just documents or a passport, it\u2019s feeling welcome, feeling safe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Xiao had to renounce her Chinese citizenship to get her Irish passport.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy country does not allow dual citizenship. It\u2019s kind of hurtful, because in my heart I will always be Chinese. But it\u2019s political. It will make it more complicated whenever I have to go back to China.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the good news is China now offers visa-free for the Irish for one month per year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucie Tiercelin, 24, an architect who is originally from France, also received Irish citizenship today.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been living here 15 years, most of my life, and I feel part of myself is Irish, and I love that I\u2019m able to be part of this nation officially and not just as a guest.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to me, to my identity as a person living in Ireland for so long.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Apurv held his daughter Eyana, age 3, in his arms, after his wife was granted Irish citizenship today.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re from Mumbai in India but we live in Newbridge, Kildare now,” he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to explore another part of the world, see different cultures, try different food. Me and my wife love travelling a lot. We both work as software engineers.\u201d Irish citizenship will \u201copen a lot of opportunities\u201d for the family, he said.<\/p>\n
There were 1188 citizenship applications from Indians \u2013 the highest number of applications.<\/p>\n
Brazil had the second highest number of applications on 572.<\/p>\n
Romania had the third highest number of applications on 462, followed by the UK on 416.<\/p>\n
Poland had 382 application, followed by the Philippines on 271, South Africa on 199, Pakistan on 186, Nigeria on 176, and China including Hong Kong on 154.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Little Irish flags waved across a packed auditorium in Killarney at one of six ceremonies which will grant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":211060,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[781,9,10,18,13,14,6,19,56,17,11,12,15,16,5,7,8],"class_list":{"0":"post-211059","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-cork-news","9":"tag-breaking-news","10":"tag-breakingnews","11":"tag-eire","12":"tag-featured-news","13":"tag-featurednews","14":"tag-headlines","15":"tag-ie","16":"tag-immigration","17":"tag-ireland","18":"tag-latest-news","19":"tag-latestnews","20":"tag-main-news","21":"tag-mainnews","22":"tag-news","23":"tag-top-stories","24":"tag-topstories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115649057171386078","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211059\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}