Close to 3,300 people will become new Irish citizens over the next two day in Killarney, with the UK once again being the lead nationality obtaining Irish citizenship.
Until 2011, citizenship was conferred at ordinary sittings in District Courts. Large scale ceremonies were introduced by then minister for justice Alan Shatter, to provide dignity and ceremony to the occasions. Since 2018, ceremonies have been held in the Gleneagle Hotel/INEC in Killarney.
However, the events were suspended during the pandemic and the first in-person ceremonies post Covid resumed in June.
In the past 11 years, 155,000 people have been conferred with Irish citizenship.
In four separate ceremonies at the INEC on Monday and Tuesday, applicants from more than 130 countries will receive their certificates of naturalisation, and take an oath of fidelity to the Irish State.
The presiding officers at the ceremonies are retired High Court judge Bryan McMahon and retired judge Paddy McMahon, who administered the Declaration of Fidelity to the Irish Nation and Loyalty to the State.
Since the ceremonies were first introduced, there has been a total of 158 ceremonies (including the December ceremonies) with people from more than 180 countries receiving their certificate of naturalisation.
Top nationalities for citizenship ceremonies this month are the UK (375) followed by India (326) and Pakistan (282).
Polish nationals make up 170 of the new Irish, followed by Syrians, Brazilians, Nigerians and Romanians. Some 102 new citizens are from the United Sated, followed by the Philippines.
Since Brexit, UK nationals have been among the lead nationalities to obtain Irish citizenship.