Migration and Citizenship: Statements
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-30
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Catherine Callaghan (FG), Carlow-Kilkenny

We need to be able to speak about migration and citizenship calmly, openly and honestly because if we do not talk about these issues in this House, people will talk about them elsewhere and very often without the facts. I represent Carlow-Kilkenny and I listen to people on the ground. People talk to me about migration and about the pressure on housing, schools, GP services and other public services and those concerns should be heard. People should be able to raise reasonable questions about migration without being labelled or dismissed but equally we have a responsibility to deal in facts. There is a perception among some people that the number of non-Irish people living in Ireland is far greater than it actually is. The most recent census showed that around 12% of the population were non-Irish citizens. We should acknowledge the contribution people who have come to Ireland make every day in our hospitals, nursing homes, construction, agriculture, hospitality, business and communities right across the country so this cannot be a debate of one extreme or the other.
Ireland is entitled to manage migration. We should have a system where the rules are clear, where decisions are made efficiently and where those decisions are then followed through. People seeking international protection deserve a fair decision and they deserve it quickly and where someone is found not to have a right to remain, that decision also has to mean something.
However, there is another side to this discussion and that is citizenship. I acknowledge that there is a real concern among many newcomers to Ireland about the proposed changes to our citizenship rules and what those changes mean for them and their families. Some people have come here, worked, paid their taxes, raised children and built their lives around an understanding of the pathway to citizenship that existed when they arrived. They now need clarity and certainty. They need to know where they stand. Of course, it is entirely reasonable that we have a serious discussion about the rules governing Irish citizenship because Irish citizenship is significant. It brings rights and responsibility. Becoming an Irish citizen should mean something. It is also about belonging. At citizenship ceremonies across the country, we see people who have chosen Ireland as their home. They have built lives here, become our neighbours and our colleagues and are raising the next generation here. That is something we should value so as we consider any proposed changes, we need to get this balance right - protecting the integrity and value of Irish citizenship while also being fair to people who have come here legally, who have contributed to this country and who genuinely want to make Ireland their permanent home.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-30