Ireland's newest citizens: 'I had to hold the wheel to stop the ship going into the rocks'

Almost 4,000 people attended citizenship ceremonies in Killarney this week. Ellie O’Byrne meets Ireland’s newest citizens – including one woman whose incredible story saw her shipwrecked here four decades ago

Some of the attendees of citizenship ceremonies in Killarney this past week

Of nearly 4,000 individual stories at this week’s Irish citizenship ceremonies in Killarney, amongst which are many tales of adversity, the story of the woman who arrived in Ireland when shipwrecked here as a child must be one of the most dramatic.

Peel Whillock-O’Leary was the eldest of five daughters born to the intrepid Paul and Pat Whillock, who decided to embark on the voyage of a lifetime and take their family on a round-the-world sailing trip in a fishing boat, the Lyon, that they had purchased. 

In 1973, they left Cornwall and sailed to Cobh, to visit a sailmaker before embarking on their long adventure. But while in Cobh, they took a small job towing a yacht to Kilkeel in Co Down. 

While making their way up the coast in the Lyon, the family hit a force 10 storm.

All the children were aboard with their parents. Peel was nine at the time and her smallest sister, Eilish, was just one year old.

Peel Whillock O'Leary from England at the Citizenship Celebration ceremony in the INEC Killarney on Tuesday. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin

“I remember the storm,” she says, standing outside the INEC convention centre in Killarney, where a steady stream of soon-to-be citizens are making their way in to register for Irish citizenship.

“I still remember having to hold the wheel while my dad was pulling down all the sails to stop the ship from going into the rocks.”

But smash into the rocks they did, badly damaging the Lyon’s keel, before being rescued and taken aboard a larger ship.

“I still remember when we got to the harbour, climbing up this big rope ladder and there was a big ship and they took us on board,” Peel says.

Peel’s parents weren’t flush and had planned to work as they went to fund their expedition. With their craft damaged beyond what they could afford for repairs, they made the painful decision to abandon their round-the-world plans and instead settled in Ringaskiddy, in Cork harbour. 

Today, 40 years after she quite literally washed up on Irish shores, Peel is receiving Irish citizenship. Her husband, Colman O’Leary, is also here and Peel carries a laminated archive article from the then Cork Examiner about her family’s exploits. 

Peel Whillock O'Leary from England with her husband Colman at the Citizenship Celebration ceremony in the INEC Killarney on Tuesday. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin

Peel’s father, Paul Whillock, was from Birmingham and her mother, Pat, from the Isle of Man; Peel is named for her mother’s hometown.

Until now, Peel has held a British passport but Brexit was the final straw for the shipwreck survivor. Like many British passport holders, she’s tired of the additional rigmarole at airports since UK’s departure from the EU.

“With Brexit happening, I thought, if the UK are finished with us, then I’m finished with them,” she says.

“I really just want to know I belong, know I can vote. Next time I’m travelling with my husband, I don’t want him to be in one line and me to be in another.”

It’s a common theme at this year’s citizenship ceremony, where Britons account for the single biggest nationality getting their Irish citizenship.

Over two days, 3,918 candidates from 139 countries received Irish citizenship across four ceremonies in the INEC Killarney.

Of them, 410 people are former British citizens. The other top 10 nationalities receiving citizenship this year are Poland, India, Romania, Pakistan, Brazil, Nigeria, Syria, the Philippines and the US.

People from each of the 26 counties converge on the Kerry beauty spot for their big day over four ceremonies held on two days. While the majority, 1,680 in total, have come from Dublin, 369 have travelled from Cork city and county, 170 from Galway and 106 from Waterford.

Inside the INEC conference centre, queues for registration are a colourful parade of international fashions. 

Iyabode Odukoya with her son Quadri Babatunde Olowu at the Citizenship Celebration ceremony in the INEC Killarney on Tuesday. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin

Dressmaker and fashion designer Iyabode Odukoya even made her own dress in honour of the ceremony, fusing the greens of her adopted Ireland with the traditional print fabrics of her country of origin, Nigeria. She is beaming with delight and has lived in Ireland for 18 years.

“I keep saying, thank you God, this is just like a dream. Praise be to God, I am Irish now!” she says.

Iyabode is at the ceremony with her son Quadri Babatunde Olowu, who arrived in Ireland in 2016 and is currently studying accounting and living in Co Louth. Gaining citizenship alongside her adult son has made this an even more emotional event, she says.

Izzeddeen Alkarajeh from Palestine at the Citizenship Celebration ceremony in the INEC Killarney on Tuesday. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin

PRIDE AND JOY

The Palestinian owner of popular Cork restaurant, Izz Café, was also amongst those receiving naturalisation certificates. Izzeddeen Alkarajeh, known as Izz, and his wife Eman spent 14 months in the Direct Provision system after their arrival in Ireland in 2016. 

Their food business began with a farmer’s market stall and since then Izz Café has become a fixture on the Cork food scene. For Izz, whose citizenship application was delayed due to missing paperwork, meaning he has become naturalised after his wife, the journey to citizenship has been “rocky and at times, challenging” but ultimately “utterly transformative”.

“The ceremony was a deeply moving event, steeped in the rich cultural heritage of Ireland, which is now a part of my own story,” he told the Irish Examiner.

“I felt a surge of emotions that ranged from relief to unadulterated joy, even though my wife, my companion throughout this process, was unable to attend due to commitments at our restaurant.”

Izz has been overwhelmed by support on social media since he posted a photo of himself at the ceremony, his tweet accumulating 7,000 likes on Twitter within 24 hours: he finds it a heartwarming symbol of the welcome the couple have found in Cork.

“The overwhelming support only amplified my pride and joy,” he said.

Gulbin and Umet Gercek from Turkey at the Citizenship Celebration ceremony in the INEC Killarney on Tuesday. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin

Elsewhere, married couple Umut and Gulbin Gercek, originally from Turkey but now based in Limerick, have finished registration and are making their way into the ceremony itself, which is presided over by Judge Deirdre Murphy and introduced by Minister of State Niall Collins. 

Umut and Gulbin both work in IT and they have a 12-year-old daughter, but she is not receiving her citizenship today because of a rule that you can’t apply for citizenship as a family. But they plan on applying again for her. Their own application took 20 months.

What does Irish citizenship mean for the couple?

“It’s freedom,” Gulbin says. “It’s a proud moment for us, because we have worked here for seven years.”

But despite having come to Ireland for jobs, Umut adds, they have been captivated by the sense of community and friendliness.

“We are so proud to become Irish citizens,” he says. “Irish people are the most welcoming in Europe.”

Another decided advantage is the Irish passport and the freedom of travel it facilitates, they say; Umut and Gulbin love to travel and explore different cultures and this will be easier as Irish citizens.

“If you want to visit somewhere with a Turkish passport you need to get a visa,” Umut says. “Now, we can discover new cultures.”

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris addresses Candidates for citizenship at the Citizenship Ceremonies 2023 in the INEC, Killarney on Monday. Photo: Don MacMonagle

161,000 people, including children, have received Irish citizenship since 2011 when the ceremonies were first introduced as a way of formally marking the conclusion of the naturalisation process.

On the stage, harpist Deirdre Granville is playing music that is both uplifting and emblematic of the Irish harp. The Army No 1 Band, conducted by Captain Ben Jacobs, are on hand to conclude the ceremony with Amhrán na bhFiann. 

Candidates listen to Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Niall Collins at the Citizenship Ceremonies Day 2 at the INEC, Killarney on Tuesday. Photo: Don MacMonagle

After Niall Collins welcomes the assembled crowd, passing comment on Ireland as a nation itself “shaped by emigration,” where one in five people were born elsewhere, and hailing the “contribution to the richness and diversity of Irish culture” that these new citizens will bring, Judge Deirdre Murphy leads them in a swearing-in ceremony.

The assembled new citizens make their declaration line by line, solemnly declaring their “fidelity to the Irish nation and loyalty to the Irish state,” agreeing to faithfully observe the laws of the state and uphold its democratic principles.

A shout of joy erupts from the crowd when Judge Murphy announces they are now Irish citizens, and everyone stands as the No 1 Band strike up the national anthem, the words displayed on screens, both in Irish and in English translation.

Haba Salama from Egypt at the Citizenship Celebration ceremony in the INEC Killarney on Tuesday. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin

Heba Salama has been at her citizenship ceremony with her husband and two little boys, the younger of whom is just six months old. A software engineer originally from Egypt, Heba is married to a doctor: he has been an Irish citizen for six years, while until now Heba has been on an Irish Residence Permit. Heba met her husband in Egypt, and she followed him to Ireland when he got a job here. The family live in Dublin.

“I’ve waited for this ceremony for so long,” Heba says. “My whole family are already Irish, so I feel like we are together now. I can’t really describe what this feels like.

“We will just continue with our family,” she says. “We hope for career growth, and for our kids to be healthy and happy.”

People rejoice after receiving Irish Citizenship at the Citizenship Ceremonies 2023 in the INEC, Killarney on Monday. Photo: Don MacMonagle

As with so many of the new citizens you could speak to here today, an Irish identity confers a lot of practical gains, but for Heba, the love she has grown for her new home has come as a welcome surprise that is about a lot more than job security or easy foreign travel.

“I love Ireland,” she says. “Being here has actually changed a lot of things for me. I say good morning to people as I pass them now; I smile more on the streets.”