“A RARE day you will remember and you will cherish.” Taoiseach Enda Kenny was addressing people who were about to become citizens of Ireland, but his words resonated beyond his target audience.
For them, yesterday was a day of hope and optimism and celebration. It was the happiest of events; the end of a long and difficult process when they would finally swear their fidelity to the Irish nation and their loyalty to the State.
They had prepared for this moment. But it delivered a major jolt to the heart of the native cynic.
In these times of unrelenting gloom and pessimism, those 25 minutes in a drab hall in Dublin stirred emotions that surprised us.
And when the colour party presented arms and the army band struck up the national anthem, you could see the Government officials and the army men and the journalists blinking back tears.
The declaration had been sworn, aloud and proud. Now, the new citizens stood as one and faced their flag. One man placed his hand across his heart. It was a solemn, powerful few minutes.
This was the fourth of eight citizenship ceremonies that took place yesterday in Cathal Brugha Barracks, and seven more are scheduled for today. In all, more than 2,000 people will join the ranks of Irish passport holders.
Before last June, people who applied successfully for citizenship had to make their declaration before the District Court. They would turn up on the appointed date and swear loyalty from the witness box, waiting their turn in the queue. If there was time, a judge might congratulate them and call for a round of applause.
More often than not, there wasn’t.
When he came into office Minister for Justice Alan Shatter set up a system of citizenship ceremonies to properly recognise the significance of the event.
Retired judge Bryan McMahon, who presided magnificently over yesterday’s events, congratulated Mr Shatter “for endowing this ceremony with a sense of pomp and a sense of occasion”.
He told the gathering to “bring with you your stories, your music, your dancers – the dances of your own native land. Enrich our lives with what you have to offer.”
He hoped that, in the future, one of their children or grandchildren would be leading out a team on All-Ireland final day.
The Taoiseach posed for photographs with his citizens. The new voters fell quickly into the Irish trait of thrusting babies into a Taoiseach’s arms, as he remarked on the “moving, meaningful and very touching” ceremony.
There was a huge sense of happiness and achievement among the participants. Many were planning a party to celebrate.
They wore their tricolour lapel pins with pride.
As we left, heading back to Leinster House and the latest row, another batch of applicants was coming through the gates.
And we thought of Eamon Dunphy on the Late Late Showthe other week, drawing applause from some of the audience when he called Ireland "a kip" and "a dump". He was wrong. Yesterday, together, we felt proud to call ourselves Irish.
