{"id":628280,"date":"2026-09-18T06:38:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T06:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/628280\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T06:38:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T06:38:20","slug":"i-fell-in-love-with-ireland-joy-at-citizenship-ceremony-despite-looming-new-rules-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/628280\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I fell in love with Ireland\u2019: Joy at citizenship ceremony despite looming new rules \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

The proposed<\/a> new citizenship rules<\/a> may have loomed large over ceremonies in Dublin, but Ireland\u2019s newest citizens were in a celebratory mood. <\/p>\n

Applicants from more than 138 countries, making up 5,600 people, will be granted Irish citizenship at the Convention Centre in Dublin during six ceremonies. <\/p>\n

For these new citizens, the minimum time living in the State was five years, but this is set to increase to eight years along with the addition of an Irish civics test and new financial requirements. <\/p>\n

Speaking before the ceremony, Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Colm Brophy<\/a> told reporters: \u201cThe legislation is moving along and I would expect that towards the end of this year we will see the new legislation being enacted.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about criticism from opposition TDs and migrant rights advocates, Brophy replied: \u201cWe always keep things under review and we always look at what is best practice. We think it reflects citizenship in the environment in which we live today. It\u2019s very much mirroring what\u2019s happening in other EU<\/a> member states.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his speech to the new citizens assembled in the Convention Centre, he again touched on the proposed changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose changes are not in any way restrictive. We want to enhance and deepen and strengthen the bonds between people becoming a citizen of our country because it\u2019s such an important privilege. It reflects the commitment and dedication that people like yourselves have shown in building your lives here. It represents so much more than just a passage of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The joy of Ireland\u2019s newest citizens was evident after the ceremony as they shared the moment with friends and family. For those who couldn\u2019t be there, the ceremony was livestreamed. <\/p>\n

Vandair De Luca (36) from Brazil said: \u201cIt\u2019s an amazing privilege to be an Irish citizen.\u201d<\/p>\n

He explained he initially came to Ireland to study, \u201cand then I fell in love with it and decided to make my life here\u201d. <\/p>\n

Vandair, a tech worker, said he didn\u2019t mind the new citizenship rules, as he felt \u201cit\u2019s not a big deal if you are planning to stay in Ireland anyway\u201d. <\/p>\n

\"VandairVandair De Luca, 36, a tech worker from Brazil. Photograph: James Cox <\/p>\n

Ahmed Imbabi (36) is originally from Sudan and came to Ireland nine years ago, making his life in Co Donegal<\/a>. <\/p>\n

He met his wife there and they have been married seven years. <\/p>\n

Ahmed, who is a doctor, said: \u201cIt means a lot being Irish. At the start I thought of it as a second home but over the years it\u2019s become a new home. <\/p>\n

\u201cI love the people, I love the culture, I\u2019m obviously with my wife, and she said you need to get yourself in.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he felt for people who will have to contend with the new citizenship rules, adding that some may not have a \u201cstraightforward path\u201d like he did. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s made things a lot harder for people. I\u2019m thinking of the people who are here four years and now have to wait another four years to apply. <\/p>\n

\u201cMine was as smooth as it can be, I came with a work permit, an address, all those things. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s not like that for everyone, and now people have to wait another two, three years or whatever. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s just a very long and demanding process. I have conflicting emotions about it. I\u2019m on the other side now but I worry about people that are in this position, if I was here four years and had to wait longer … how would I feel?\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Citizenship by descent is not racist, and language tests make perfect senseOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\"AhmedAhmed Imbabi, 36, a doctor from Sudan. Photograph: James Cox <\/p>\n

Denise Lacey is originally from Brazil, and she met her husband Gavin Lacey while she was on holiday in Ireland. <\/p>\n

She has been living in Dublin for 10 years and she said getting her citizenship \u201cmeans everything\u201d. <\/p>\n

Denise, who works as an executive assistant, added: \u201cIt\u2019s been such a journey and I\u2019m so happy because now Ireland is my home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DeniseDenise and Gavin Lacey. Photograph: James Cox <\/p>\n

Jacqui Wegewarth is British but originally from South Africa. She said she made the decision to move to Ireland with her husband and two small children after the Brexit referendum in 2016. <\/p>\n

\u201cJust to open up doors and opportunities for my kids that I was never able to have due to the limited opportunities in South Africa. That\u2019s what it means for me and my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacqui, who works as an auditor, said she does not mind the new regulations, but is glad she now has her citizenship. <\/p>\n

\"JacquiJacqui Wegewarth, an auditor from South Africa. Photograph: James Cox <\/p>\n

Ali, a doctor from Sudan, has been working in Ireland for 10 years. <\/p>\n

Beaming with pride after becoming an Irish citizen, he said he goes by the surname \u2018McHappy\u2019 because he\u2019s always smiling. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s even on my official identification at work,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been living in Ireland for the last 10 years, it was a long journey, it\u2019s a privilege and I am very proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DrDr Ali from Sudan. Photograph: James Cox <\/p>\n

Ali said he works in different hospitals in Dublin, the southeast and northwest. <\/p>\n

He was critical of the new citizenship rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not fair, to be honest with you … I understand why people like a path [to citizenship] but I feel like it is hard enough. <\/p>\n

\u201cI hope if it is approved by the D\u00e1il there will be an exception for people who come here to work and enrich the economy … to enrich the value of being Irish.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Is it easier to become a naturalised citizen in Ireland than elsewhere?Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The proposed new citizenship rules may have loomed large over ceremonies in Dublin, but Ireland\u2019s newest citizens were…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":628281,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[30590,2244,1523,61,1629,60,43],"class_list":["post-628280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-colm-brophy","tag-eu","tag-government","tag-ie","tag-immigration","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}