More than 160 Westmeath and Roscommon residents become Irish citizens
More than 160 people based in Westmeath and Roscommon are becoming Irish citizens at ceremonies in Dublin today (Thursday) and tomorrow.
They are among a group of more than 5,000 people being conferred with Irish citizenship in the Convention Centre over the two days.
A breakdown of the counties where the new citizens are based shows that 109 have made their home in Westmeath, while 57 are based in Roscommon.
Elsewhere in the Midlands, 56 of the new citizens are Offaly residents, while 35 now call Longford home.
The new citizens are from more than 130 different countries.
The top ten countries of origin represented at the ceremonies are: India (914), United Kingdom (614), Brazil (531), Romania (380), Poland (360), Philippines (241), South Africa (210), Nigeria (205), Pakistan (191) and United States Of America (191).
In total six citizenship ceremonies are being held over two days, with these being attended by Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform and Digitalisation Jack Chambers, and Minister of State Niall Collins.
Speaking ahead of the ceremonies, Minister O’Callaghan said: "It's a great honour for me to attend my first citizenship ceremony as Minister for Justice.
"I know how much becoming an Irish citizen means to each and every person attending these ceremonies. 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.
“Becoming a citizen means more than receiving an Irish passport, it is about belonging, knowing that Ireland is your home and becoming truly part of our society.
"I call on all our new citizens to actively contribute to the wellbeing of our society and collectively, we can make Ireland a better place for everyone," he said.
The Government said significant changes have been introduced in the citizenship division of the Department of Justice in order 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 eight months in 2024.