Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan
Thousands of people will descend on Killarney on Monday and Tuesday for two days of high-profile citizenship ceremonies at the Gleneagle INEC Arena.
In excess of 3,500 people from several different countries will be conferred with Irish citizenship over the two days and with each allowed to invite a guest, there is an influx of 7,000 people expected.
Hotels, guesthouses and bed and breakfasts have been fully booked for weeks in advance with the visitors either opting to stay the night before the ceremonies or the night afterwards.
Minister of State James Browne, Minister of State Anne Rabbitte, retired High Court judge Bryan MacMahon and retired district court judge Paddy McMahon will be presiding over the ceremonies and conferring Irish citizenship on over 3,500 people.
There will be three ceremonies on Monday at 11.00am, 2.00pm and 4.30pm with another ceremony on Tuesday at 11.30am.
Minister Browne will be presiding over Monday’s ceremonies and Minister Rabbitte will preside on Tuesday.
Gardai in Killarney, who will have a traffic management plan in place, have advised the public, including those attending the ceremonies, that there are likely to be considerable traffic delays in the town and on the approach roads.
Residents are advised to allow extra time for journeys in and around Killarney, in particular on the Muckross Road on Monday.
A free shuttle bus service will run to and from the venue with links from Killarney Bus Station, Killarney Railway Station and Scott Street.
The final ceremony on Monday is due to conclude at 5.30pm and the last ceremony on Tuesday will finish at 12.30pm.
Citizenship ceremonies were first introduced in 2011 in order to mark the occasion of the granting of citizenship in a dignified and solemn manner and well in excess of 100,000 applicants have already received their certificates of naturalisation.
Last June the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, hosted two citizenship ceremonies in Killarney to welcome 950 people as they became Irish citizens. The event was the first in-person citizenship ceremonies since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.
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