Cork's Shandon priest warns new Irish citizenship rules could split up her family

Rev Meghan Farr says her eldest son could age out of his residency entitlement before the family qualifies for naturalisation

Rev. Farr moved to Cork from the United States in 2022 on a Stamp 3 Minister of Religion Visa with her husband and three sons to take up the post, which also includes serving as chaplain to St Luke’s Care Home in Blackrock. Picture: Chani Anderson

The most senior priest in one of Cork's most iconic landmarks has said the proposed new citizenship laws could split up her family.

Reverend Meghan Farr, the priest-in-charge of St Anne’s Church in Shandon, criticised the retroactive new laws proposed by justice minister Jim O’Callaghan which will increase the length of time a person must live in Ireland to be eligible for citizenship from five to eight years.

Rev. Farr moved to Cork from the United States in 2022 on a Stamp 3 Minister of Religion Visa with her husband and three sons to take up the post, which also includes serving as chaplain to St Luke’s Care Home in Blackrock.

The church had struggled to fill her position, with no suitable candidates identified until she applied. Over the last four years she has overseen a lot of the repair works and built relationships with architects, builders, the community and city council.

“If I left, the church would struggle to fill that position,” with six vacancies opening up in the diocese recently.

Rev Meghan Farr priest in charge at Saint Ann's Shandon with former Bishop of Cork Paul Colton. File picture

Her family “basically sold off everything to come here”, planning for a future that is now uncertain.

Rev Farr said: “Our oldest son turned 17 the day before we came, so we looked very carefully at the rules and saw that children can stay with you until they’re 23 if they’re in full-time education.” 

He now risks ageing out before they can naturalise and having to leave the rest of his family.

“He’s made his life here now, and we don’t know what will happen when he turns 23, because under the new rules we would still be two years away from being able to apply for naturalisation.” 

Another issue is that her Stamp 3 Minister of Religion Visa does not entitle her husband to work — he would need sponsorship from an employer, which is difficult to come by and he has not managed to get a job.

“He’s been clinging onto that one year before he can apply for citizenship. If it was eight years we wouldn’t have come here in the first place — the fact that this is retroactive really hurts people who came over here with a plan.

“For the government to change everything overnight to include everyone with so much time here and so close to the end, and with all the many different scenarios of stamps and situations — I’m not sure it is clear at all how that will work.

“I’ve heard people say ‘it’s too bad, this wasn’t meant to hurt people like you’, and I think ‘in what way?

White? American? Fluent in English?’” 

“We love Ireland, we love Cork. This is home,” she said. “It’s the unknown, particularly for my son.” 

Chris Amour completes his 300km run from Dublin to Cork in aid of Pieta House, and is congratulated at the finish of his fundraising event by Rev Meghan Farr at the Church of St Anne, Shandon, Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins

Green party councillor Oliver Moran said he is calling on the Taoiseach to reverse the retroactive nature of the policy.

“Meghan may be unique in her job, but she and her family are no different to every other skilled person coming to this shore, whether it’s finance, IT, healthcare, or hospitality,” he said.

“The Taoiseach spoke about wanting to promote Irish and Irish values among people coming to this country,” but said that people coming here to work and their families making sacrifices for them are Irish values.

“Has he forgotten who we are? Changing the rules on people mid-way, maybe that's his way, but it's not ours.”