Speech by Finian McGrath, TD, Minister of State
Friday 21ST April 2017
Citizenship Ceremony
Convention Centre Dublin
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great privilege for me to be here on this very special day, the day
on which Irish citizenship will be formally conferred on you during this
simple but solemn ceremony.
I extend a warm welcome to you, the candidates, sitting directly in front
of me, who will shortly become Ireland’s newest citizens. Together with
your family and with your friends here today we join with you in
celebrating this major event in your life.
Today, you will take an oath of fidelity to our nation and loyalty to our
State. You will do so in the knowledge that this relatively young State –
still less than a century since our independence was gained - is a place of
culture where traditions are cherished and history is ever-present. Be
sure, too, that this State is a place of diversity and openness.
The people of Ireland are committed to respecting all traditions on this
island equally. We also recognise that developing a greater understanding
of our shared history, in all its diversity, is essential to developing
greater understanding and building a shared future.
It is important, however, that we do not become complacent and that we
continue to keep integration to the fore.
Back in February the Tánaiste launched a new Migrant Integration Strategy
which provides the framework for Government action on migrant integration
for the years 2017 to 2020.
It is intended to address the challenges that we anticipate in the years
ahead and is targeted at both EU and non-EU nationals, including refugees.
Its primary objective is to ensure that barriers to full participation in
Irish society by migrants or their Irish-born children are identified and
addressed and the basic values of Irish society are respected by all.
The Strategy will build on our existing approach which involves a
combination of mainstream services and targeted initiatives to address
specific needs. Its key message is that integration is a two-way process
that will involve actions by both migrants and by Irish society.
On becoming Irish citizens you will have the same rights, the same duties
and the same responsibilities as every other Irish citizen. We ask you, as
we ask all our citizens, to participate actively in our communities, to be
good citizens, and to uphold the law. The possibilities opened up to you in
Ireland today are almost limitless; perhaps one day, you or a child or
grandchild of yours, could be up here as a Minister for Justice, or as
Judge, or perhaps the President of Ireland. While your presence at this
ceremony today marks the end of the citizenship process, you are also at
the beginning of a new journey and a new phase of your life as our newest
Irish citizens.
My earnest wish for each and every one of you here today as you embark on
this new phase, is that it will be a journey full of hope and full of
optimism with a bright new future as members of the great Irish global
family.
The dignity and solemnity of today’s ceremony is greatly enhanced by the
presence of Judge Bryan McMahon, who will perform the role of Presiding
Officer. Judge McMahon will administer the Declaration of Fidelity to the
Irish Nation and Loyalty to the State – this is the final element of the
application process and without it you cannot become an Irish citizen.
The presence of the Colour Party under the command of Captain Tadgdh
McCarthy, also underlines the solemnity and importance of the ceremony.
Over the course of today, over 3,000 new citizens will be welcomed to the
Irish family. Since the introduction of Citizenship ceremonies 6 years
ago, over 100,000 persons from every continent, every region and more than
170 countries have become new citizens of Ireland.
It is truly remarkable that this tiny island at the edge of Western Europe
facing into the Atlantic Ocean which is home to us all has, as its
citizens, as members of the national family, people who came to live with
us from every country on this planet. I think we all deserve a round of
applause for that.
Today we, as the host nation, or perhaps as the people who got here a
little bit before you, are acknowledging in a most public way your presence
here, your successful negotiation of the due process of naturalisation and
our best wishes for your future.
As you leave here today, as proud new citizens of this Republic and
constitutional democracy, our history is your history and, in turn, the
narrative of your life is now part of our history.
Becoming a citizen of Ireland means much more than having an Irish passport
or being able to vote. These of course, are very important but at a much
deeper level you are affirming your commitment to the values we cherish
most and which are rooted in our history. In so doing you are also
affirming your support for our sense of mutual responsibility to one
another as citizens of this country. By being citizens you are part of a
common thread which unites and binds all of us.
What we ask of all our citizens for all our sakes are serious and solemn
pledges and it is our duty to uphold them. On behalf of the Irish people we
ask that you do your utmost to uphold these pledges to our nation, to its
values and to your fellow citizens as you go forward from here today as our
newest citizens.
In turn by our laws and our traditions we commit to continue to recognise
the personal rights of you as individuals in a proud nation which greatly
values inclusion, tolerance and diversity.
Finally, I wish to congratulate you, one and all, on becoming our newest
Irish citizens – we welcome you to our national family.
I now formally introduce Judge McMahon and call upon him to administer the
declaration, in which you publicly declare your Fidelity to our Nation and
Loyalty to our State as well as undertaking to faithfully observe the laws
of the State and respect its democratic values.