Olbukola, Adeyinka and Adedolapo Adeleke from Enfield and originally from Nigeria with Minister Colum Brophy and Judge Paddy McMahon at the Irish Citizenship ceremony in Killarney on Monday. PHOTO: DON McMONAGLE

380 applicants from Meath granted Irish citizenship

Published: Tue 24 Jun 2025, 7:01 PM

380 applicants from Co Meath were granted Irish citizenship at the INEC Killarney this week.

Over 7,500 people were granted Irish citizenship at the two-day ceremonies with applicants from over 143 countries and across all 32 counties on the island making a declaration of fidelity and loyalty to the State to become Irish citizens.

At seven ceremonies held over two days, Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan was joined by Minister of State with responsibility for Migration, Colm Brophy, and Minister of State with responsibility for International Law, Law Reform and Youth Justice, Niall Collins.

Speaking ahead of the ceremonies, Minister O’Callaghan said “this ceremony marks an important milestone in the lives of those receiving Irish citizenship."

"For each new citizen it signifies a deep connection to Ireland, its values, and its people. Ireland welcomes our new citizens as full members of society, and their contributions will undoubtedly strengthen the fabric of our nation."

"I encourage all new citizens to continue to actively engage in their communities so that, together, we can build a thriving society."In just over two years the Citizenship Division of the Department has gone from processing around 12,000 applications a year to processing over 20,000 applications in 2023, and nearly 31,000 in 2024.

According to the Minister, significant changes have been introduced in the Citizenship Division of the Department of Justice to speed up the application process including the introduction of an online digital application, payments, and eVetting.

As a result, processing times are now decreasing year on year. The length of time it takes to process an application has dropped from 15 months in 2023 to eight months in 2024.

It is expected that going forward, the vast majority of applicants will continue to receive a decision within one year, however, it is important to note that no two naturalisation applications are the same and some take longer than others to process.