After 33 years in the country, Henry McKean has officially donned the green jersey and is now Ireland’s newest citizen.
Born in England, the McKean family has roots in County Cork and moved to Ireland when Henry’s Dad got a job in Ireland in 1990.
“It’s been a long journey, since Italia ‘90,” he told Moncrieff.
“My Dad got a job in the airlines and we came down from Scotland and we had an old Volvo Estate and we took the ferry.”
At the time, the relationship between Britain and Ireland was strained by the Troubles and with his English accent, Henry stood out in class.
“I’ve never said this out loud before… I am Irish”.
After 33 years of living in Ireland, @HenryMcKean has become an Irish citizen!🇮🇪
It has been an emotional one in the office today - fáilte, Henry!💚 pic.twitter.com/esElRHGWS7— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) September 7, 2023
“In school there was a lad and he would say to me everyday in class, ‘Brits out’,” he recalled.
“This was obviously during the 1990s when the Troubles were still continuing, there was just a little bit of an undertone that the relationship between Britain and Ireland wasn’t that good.
“But people [in general] were very welcoming.”
Citizenship rules
Anyone born in Ireland before 2005 is an Irish citizen - as are any children they have who are born abroad.
Anyone with an Irish-born grandparent can apply to become an Irish citizen and this was how Henry became an Irishman.
“The reason why I’m Irish today is because of the ‘granny rule’,” he said.
“My grandmother is from East Cork; I’ve got relatives in Scotland, all over the UK and in East Cork.”
Today is a big day for me. I become an Irish Citizen. After 33 years living in Ireland 🇮🇪 I have been granted Irish citizenship under the granny rule. Thanks Grandma! @SeanMoncrieff @NewstalkFM from 2pm. pic.twitter.com/ipT3WAMbqe
— Henry McKean (@HenryMcKean) September 7, 2023
His maternal grandparents met in Jersey just before the Second World War and it was there that his mother was born.
His father is Scottish and to apply for Irish citizenship, Henry had to find reams of documentation that connected him to all of them.
Love of Ireland
Since Britain left the European Union, the number of applications for Irish citizenship has surged, with many Britons eager to retain EU citizenship.
However, for Henry, the motivation is his attachment to the country that has been his home for decades.
“Brexit happened in 2016 - that was seven-years-ago,” he said.
“So, I didn’t rush it; I just felt it was the right time.”
Henry is now eligible to apply for an Irish passport and there is one other task he might add to his ‘to do’ list.
“I would love to be able to learn the Irish language,” he said.
“I think the Irish language is so wonderful and I think it’s great we spend millions each year to keep it going and printing everything twice - I support that.”
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Main image: Henry McKean.
