:-)

;-)

Thank you :-)

Go raibh maith agat!

Go raibh maith agat!

Sláinte!

It is a lot of paperwork, but if anyone else is going through the process and needs help, feel free to get in touch. I'm very happy to share what I've learnt.

My Irish citizenship means the world to me, like a precious last gift from my dad, made possible thanks to his mum. This is a proud new chapter in my life. The UK allows dual citizenship, so I'm now both officially British and Irish.

With the UK rejoining Erasmus next year, it feels like there's growing momentum to rebuild bridges, something I feel deeply, both personally and professionally.

With my grandmother's link on my father's side and more distant Irish forebears on my mother's, this moment feels all the more meaningful.

I love Ireland, the people, the culture, the music, the humour, the 'craic', and I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to strengthen my connection with the Emerald Isle.

For me, this has always been about honouring my family, securing my future, and feeling part of something close to my heart.

I do truly appreciate that not everyone is eligible for Irish citizenship, and I'm not sharing this to boast, but to mark a deeply personal milestone that means a great deal to me.

I'd always assumed she was London born and bred, but subsequently found out she had actually moved to London as an infant, which is why I was so stunned to learn she'd actually been born in Ireland.

Over the years, my dad told me quite a lot about his mother who died in the 1950s, before I was born, so I never met her.