A Tale of Dual Irish Citizenship and a Little More

In this week's letter, we look at Dual Irish Citizenship - by way of a tale of two Irish saints and a movie star. I have put specific links to help you understand the process for applying for dual Irish Citizenship at the end of this letter.

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A Tale of Dual Irish Citizenship and a Little More

Over the last couple of years, I have noticed many readers mention that they have combined Irish citizenship with that of their own country – and many more asking what it takes to apply for dual citizenship.

How about you – do you hold dual Irish citizenship? Would you like to? Do let me know in the comments at the end of this page. So, in this letter, we are going to ramble through a few stories and a tale of dual citizenship – but we’ll tie it all up nicely in the end!

Two Irish Saints of The North. 

I was speaking with Emmet Kearney, a County Longford man, during the week. The conversation went something like this:

“Are you heading back to Longford the weekend?”

“I am – I’m starting back tomorrow”.

“Did you see the programme on Saint Mel’s cathedral in Longford town the other night? An amazing story”.

“That’s a great story alright. Burned down on Christmas day – it must have been devastating – and rebuilt over the last 4 years, it was some effort.”

“I suppose you’ll be marrying the daughters off there one of the days?”

“Hah! That’s a good way off yet. Come here, do you know who is named after Saint Mel?”

And we’ll get back to Emmet’s answer later.

Saint Mel (Moel) was a nephew of Saint Patrick, and assisted him in his missionary work through Ireland during the 5th century. When Patrick built a church in Ardagh in what is now County Longford, he appointed Mel as the local bishop. He became the archbishop of the wider dioceses of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise – and the Cathedral we were chatting about earlier in Longford town was built in his honour. He is also a patron saint of single people (that would be all of us, once!). As a result, there is a strong tradition of devotion to Saint Mel for many people from County Longford.

We came across another Irish saint last week. We were visiting the lovely Derry city on the north coast of the island, a great spot right on the border between Counties Derry and Donegal. It was built on the site of an abbey established by another Irish saint, Saint Columcille (also known by his latin name, Saint Columba). He left Derry in 563AD and established his monastery on the island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland.

Columcille (a Donegal man) lived about 150 years after Saint Mel, and is credited with spreading Christianity across all of Scotland through his missionary work. It’s hard to visit a county or town in Ireland these days that does not have a church, abbey or townland associated with this saint. In fact, if you travel to Saint Mel’s County Longford, you will find a whole parish named “Colmcille”.

Anne Patricia Reilly was born in this County Longford parish of Colmcille about 1920. She was schooled and reared in the area, but like so many youths of the area at that time, she left to find a better life (and probably some more excitement) in the USA. She arrived in Brooklyn in New York, found a job – met her husband and together they had 10 children together. However, although her new home was in the USA, her County Longford roots ran deep.

A Journey to the Heart of the Island. 

This time last year, we were on our way up to County Longford, and we stopped off in the “Royal County’ of Meath. It was called “Royal”, being the seat of the Irish High Kings down through the centuries. We called into the town of Trim – and the castle that sits at it’s heart.

Trim Castle

Trim Castle, County Meath.

Trim Castle was built by the Normans in 1172AD and is, I believe, the largest standing castle in Ireland. It is such an evocative setting, with so many layers of history attached to it’s walls. A tour around the castle has been labeled as one of the top 10 educational sites in the world by National Geographic. High praise indeed. Have you ever visited this wonderful castle?

The castle has also featured in a number of movies down through the years, most notably it played the City of York in the early 1990s movie, Braveheart. Although set in Scotland, Braveheart was filmed in both Scotland and Ireland – across County Wicklow and Meath. A great film – one to raise the blood temperature! What do you think?

One Movie Star and the County Longford Connection. 

I don’t know what you make of all the negative media exposure Mel Gibson has had over the past few years, but it is hard to deny his creativity and achievements as both an actor and director. When Anne Patricia Reilly met and married Hutton Gibson in 1944, she reached back into her County Longford roots and named one of her boys after the two saints associated with her homeland. Saint Mel of Ardagh, and her local parish of Colmcille. And so he came to be named “Mel Colmcille Gibson”.

And given that Mel Gibson has an Irish-born mother, Mel decided to hold both Irish and US citizenship – and the passport for both countries. As is the right for all people born outside Ireland who have a parent or grandparent that was born in Ireland.

I guess that Bishop O’Reilly of Ardagh may have reached out to Mel Colmcille Gibson to assist with restoration of Saint Mel’s Cathedral. It was burned down on Christmas Day, 2009, but restored and reopened on Christmas Eve, 2014 – and is now in fine condition. It was the largest ecclesiastical restoration project in Europe during that time. And supported by Irish citizens from all over the world.

Where to Find Out More About Dual Irish Citizenship. 

As always, if you would like to say hello – or ask a question – please leave a comment below.  In the meantime, here are those links for discovering more about obtaining dual Irish Citizenship:

Do let me know how you get on.

Slán for this week,

Mike and Carina.

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