230 applicants in Limerick receive Irish Citizenship

OVER THE course of Thursday and Friday, February 13 and 14, over 5,000 people received Irish Citizenship.

With applicants from over 130 countries, 230 were based in Limerick, and each made a declaration of fidelity and loyalty to the Irish State to become Irish citizens.

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.

Speaking after the ceremonies, Minister of State at the Department of Justice Niall Collins said: “It’s a great honour for me to address my first citizenship ceremony as Minister of State in the Department of Justice.

“I know how much becoming an Irish citizen means to each and every person attending these ceremonies over today and tomorrow.

“I want to congratulate them, along with their family and friends who have come along to support them, on this important moment in their lives.

“I want to particularly recognise the 230 applicants based in Limerick, who enhance our local communities right across our county.

“I would like to wish all of our new citizens well on this new and momentous chapter in their lives,” said the Limerick Minister.

READ MORE: Deep sense of sadness at death of former Limerick TD and long-serving councillor

Minister Collins addressed one of six ceremonies held over two days, along with his party colleagues Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan and Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform and Digitalisation Jack Chambers. 

Significant changes have been introduced in the Citizenship Division of the Department of Justice to speed up the application process for applicants, including the introduction of an online digital application, online 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 8 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.