In May 2018, more than 3,500 people became Irish citizens when the first citizenship ceremony of the year took place in Killarney. Since citizenship ceremonies were first introduced in 2011, more than 119,000 people from 181 countries have become Irish citizens.
The citizenship ceremony took place against the backdrop of international political and media discourse focused on the current European migration ‘crisis’, Brexit anti-immigrant sentiments and, more recently, the widespread criticism regarding the controversial ‘Muslim ban’ and border policies of the Trump administration.
It provides a timely opportunity to reflect on Ireland’s own domestic migration related procedures.
