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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Yes, as Tadhg2020 says above - if the Garda report is "clean", then you should have no problem in becoming a citizen so long as you satisfy the other requirements too.

However, if it discloses one or more convictions of the type likely to lead to a committal to prison, then it becomes highly unlikely you'll be granted citizenship.

Barney seems to believe that many prisoners are people who originally come from other countries and who committed crime after first taking out citizenship here.

So my question remains: what does he think it is that makes these people who have been law-abiding for a minimum five years turn to crime and commit prison-worthy offences after they've been granted citizenship?"
Whatever about Citizenship, there are a lot of serious crimes committed by non-citizens in recent years.

Now to be fair, the vast majority of immigrants are likely law abiding citizens, looking for a better life, but it would be foolish to ignore that serious criminals from other Countries are operating here too, so vetting must only apply in certain cases. Some could be Citizens of other EU Countries also.

Obviously the murder of Ashling Murphy in Tullamore shocked the Nation, and I know of several rape/assault cases in Letterkenny in the last 3 years involving foreign nationals, which shocked people locally.

I think recent resentment stems from those kind of horrifying cases, like a young woman walking home via Lower Main Street in Letterkenny who was dragged into an alleyway and brutally assaulted and raped, the perpetrator was caught nearby by Gardai with his clothes still covered in blood.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1776 - 22/04/2026 13:26:33    2667890

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Replying To Commodore:  "
Replying To Pikeman96:  "Yes, as <b>Tadhg2020</b> says above - if the Garda report is "clean", then you should have no problem in becoming a citizen so long as you satisfy the other requirements too. However, if it discloses one or more convictions of the type likely to lead to a committal to prison, then it becomes highly unlikely you'll be granted citizenship. Barney seems to believe that many prisoners are people who originally come from other countries and who committed crime after first taking out citizenship here. So my question remains: what does he think it is that makes these people who have been law-abiding for a minimum five years turn to crime and commit prison-worthy offences after they've been granted citizenship?"</div>Whatever about Citizenship, there are a lot of serious crimes committed by non-citizens in recent years. Now to be fair, the vast majority of immigrants are likely law abiding citizens, looking for a better life, but it would be foolish to ignore that serious criminals from other Countries are operating here too, so vetting must only apply in certain cases. Some could be Citizens of other EU Countries also. Obviously the murder of Ashling Murphy in Tullamore shocked the Nation, and I know of several rape/assault cases in Letterkenny in the last 3 years involving foreign nationals, which shocked people locally. I think recent resentment stems from those kind of horrifying cases, like a young woman walking home via Lower Main Street in Letterkenny who was dragged into an alleyway and brutally assaulted and raped, the perpetrator was caught nearby by Gardai with his clothes still covered in blood."
Wouldn't dispute any of that. I'm just tackling a particular assertion from Barney that files in the face of both statistics and logic. He's been quiet about it today. Maybe we'll hear from him tomorrow.

But for what it's worth - you don't actually have to be vetted to be granted Irish residency. Some are, depending on particular circumstances, but more are not. And of course, many people in IPAS centres etc. haven't even been granted permanent residency yet. But commit a crime and be committed to prison at a time before or during when you've just got residency rather than citizenship, and you'll still be counted as a non-national in the prison population.

However, you do have to be vetted to obtain citizenship. Minor offences may not disbar you from citizenship, but vetting is still a mandatory part of the process. No vetting = no citizenship.

Barney's assertion remains that a significant portion of the prison population comprises people who were born elsewhere but who were granted citizenship before committing the crime that saw them sent to prison (and so they wouldn't be regarded as non-nationals in prison).

In other words, people who were either completely law-abiding for at least five years, or who committed only a minor offence but who were judged unlikely to ever commit a more serious one, ended up committing more serious offences afterwards anyway. Of a sufficiently serious nature to see them jailed.

My question to him remains what is it he thinks makes a good person turn bad after they've been granted Irish citizenship?

Again - maybe we'll hear from him tomorrow.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3519 - 22/04/2026 23:36:20    2668005

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Replying To Commodore:  "To become a citizen, you have to have lived here for a minimum of five years, and have a Garda report to say you were of good behaviour and character for all that time.

So, if these people have been perfectly law-abiding for at least five years, what do you think it is that makes them turn into criminals after they've been granted citizenship?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3501 - 21/04/2026 16:51:36

So if a immigrant or refugee is convicted of a crime during their initial 5 year period here, they cannot become an Irish Citizen?"
Quite obviously not true from even from the court reports and what we know of one high profile offender who mainstream media claimed was 'Irish national.'

He had previous convictions both BEFORE and AFTER becoming a citizen. He also requires an interpreter in court despite living here for over 20 years!

Irish citizenship is ridiculously easy to obtain by international standards. Even Google will tell you that!

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 4226 - 23/04/2026 07:59:10    2668012

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Replying To BarneyGrant:  "UK born is a surprisingly small %. Look up the Census 2022 tables yourself. You can find almost what people have for their dinner.

People born to Irish parents in UK are obviously Irish by the way. Just as people born here to non Irish parents are culturally and in other ways not Irish."
Asking again Barney, what was the percentage of UK born in 2022?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 19291 - 23/04/2026 11:58:04    2668080

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Good man Barney. Take one case out of the more than 20,000 that are granted citizenship each year, and try use that to demolish all the facts and stats that are stacked up against you.

I don't know what case you're referring to. Maybe you'd let me know, or put up a link? If it really was so high-profile and widely-reported, am sure the mods here would have no issue with that.

By the way, when I type "is Irish citizenship easy to obtain?" into Google, here's what I get:
"Irish citizenship is relatively straightforward if you have Irish ancestry (descent), but it can be a long, strict process through naturalization, typically requiring five years of legal residency."

So yeah, it's relatively easy if e.g. you're the child or grandchild of somebody who emigrated from here, you were born wherever they emigrated to, and then you moved back to Ireland yourself.

Are you now suggesting that it's these "easy to get citizenship" people who are committing the crimes and being sent to prison? i.e. somebody born in England and who has an Irish granny is more likely to commit crime and be jailed after moving here, than somebody who has citizenship by actually being born here? Seems a strange one too. Would love to hear your theories.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3519 - 23/04/2026 12:37:48    2668098

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Good man Barney. Take one case out of the more than 20,000 that are granted citizenship each year, and try use that to demolish all the facts and stats that are stacked up against you.

I don't know what case you're referring to. Maybe you'd let me know, or put up a link? If it really was so high-profile and widely-reported, am sure the mods here would have no issue with that.

By the way, when I type "is Irish citizenship easy to obtain?" into Google, here's what I get:
"Irish citizenship is relatively straightforward if you have Irish ancestry (descent), but it can be a long, strict process through naturalization, typically requiring five years of legal residency."

So yeah, it's relatively easy if e.g. you're the child or grandchild of somebody who emigrated from here, you were born wherever they emigrated to, and then you moved back to Ireland yourself.

Are you now suggesting that it's these "easy to get citizenship" people who are committing the crimes and being sent to prison? i.e. somebody born in England and who has an Irish granny is more likely to commit crime and be jailed after moving here, than somebody who has citizenship by actually being born here? Seems a strange one too. Would love to hear your theories."
Facts are not stacked against me. One third from annual report of Prison Service is closer to the daily snapshot for one day chosen by you.

As were my stats on % of population born overseas and proportion of population growth - 90%! - down to immigration.

You obviously think this is a good thing? Why?

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 4226 - 23/04/2026 13:42:54    2668118

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