Latest news with #IrishCitizenship
Irish Times
29-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
The 500-year-old treaty that made Irish people citizens of Spain
Just four more years now to the 500th anniversary of when we Irish became citizens of Spain . You didn't know? You never heard of the Treaty of Dingle in 1529, when Don Gonzalez Fernandez, ambassador of King Charles V of Spain, stepped ashore in that noble town to be greeted by ceremonial drummers? Okay. Neither had I until recently. Yes, the treaty concluded there between James FitzGerald, 10th earl of Desmond, and Fernandez gave a formal legal and constitutional foundation to the rights of citizenship and other privileges that Irish exiles enjoyed in Habsburg Spain, Habsburg Austria and Habsburg Netherlands from the 16th to the early 20th centuries. Remarkable. READ MORE A copy of the Treaty of Dingle is in the Royal Library in Brussels and fragments of the earl of Desmond's copy are in the British Library in London. In 2009 the then Spanish Ambassador to Ireland, Dona Mercedes Rico, was greeted by the Dingle Fife and Drum Band when she arrived to commemorate that remarkable event 480 years before. She had been invited by the Dingle Historical Society to unveil a commemorative plaque on the wall of the Temperance Hall, marking the signing of the treaty. The ambassador noted how 'in April 1529 your ancestors welcomed the first official diplomatic envoy from Spain to Ireland' and how the treaty 'gave the Irish people the unique privilege of full equal rights and equality with Spaniards in Spain.' Bless my sceptical soul but you learn something new every day. And the Dingle Fife and Drum Band played O'Neill's March, which, as a local man observed at the time, was 'very relevant because thanks to the Treaty of Dingle the Wild Geese [who fled Ireland in the early 1600s] fared well on the Continent.' It seems the myth of the Iberian origin of the inhabitants of Ireland (the Milesian myth) plus a sense of solidarity based on Catholicism and the services rendered by the Irish in the armies of Spain, convinced kings of Spain they should protect and defend the Irish. In time a strong Irish community flourished in the territories of the Spanish monarchy, mainly Castile, Portugal and the so-called Spanish Netherlands, not to mention all those Irish priests trained at Irish Colleges in Madrid, Salamanca, Alcala, Saville and Valencia in Penal times. Spain , from Latin Hispania inaword@
The Independent
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
U2 guitarist explains why it took him 60 years to become an Irish citizen
U2 guitarist The Edge, real name David Howell Evans, has secured Irish citizenship after living in Ireland for over 60 years. Born in England to Welsh parents, Evans moved to Ireland at one year old and co-founded the Dublin -born band U2 in 1976. He described the citizenship as "long overdue" and expressed deep pride in Ireland, stating he always felt Irish. The conferring ceremony took place in Killarney, County Kerry, as part of an event where more than 7,500 people were expected to become Irish citizens. Evans highlighted the significance of the timing, feeling an even deeper connection with his homeland. U2 guitarist The Edge becomes Irish citizen in 'long-overdue move'
The Independent
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
U2 guitarist The Edge hails ‘monumental day' as he becomes Irish citizen
U2 veteran The Edge has described a 'monumental day' after becoming an Irish citizen. David Howell Evans, 63, was born in Essex in England to Welsh parents, but his family moved to Ireland when he was just a one-year-old. His Irish citizenship was conferred at a ceremony in Killarney, Co Kerry on Monday. Some 7,500 people will officially become Irish citizens across Monday and Tuesday. He described an 'amazingly joyful event'. 'For all of us, a monumental day,' he told RTE, wearing the distinctive hat he is known for, as well as an Irish flag badge on the lapel of his jacket. 'I'm a little tardy on the paperwork – I've been living in Ireland since I was one but the time was right and I couldn't be more proud of my country for all that it represents and all it's doing. 'It's showing real leadership right now in the world and this couldn't have come at a better moment for me.' The Edge, a guitarist in U2, has been involved with the band since its formation in Dublin in the late 1970s, going on to win scores of music awards. U2 is also noted for speaking out with songs such as Sunday Bloody Sunday about the shooting of unarmed protesters in Londonderry in 1972 by British soldiers, New Year's Day which became associated with the Polish Solidarity movement and Pride (In The Name Of Love) in tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. They also strongly supported efforts to secure peace in Northern Ireland with the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The band played Sunday Bloody Sunday last month with a call to 'stop war' at the Ivors award ceremony. The performance came as the group became the first Irish songwriters to be awarded an academy fellowship at the 70th year of the awards ceremony, hosted at London's Grosvenor House.
BreakingNews.ie
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
U2 guitarist The Edge hails ‘monumental day' as he becomes Irish citizen
U2 veteran The Edge has described a 'monumental day' after becoming an Irish citizen. David Howell Evans, 63, was born in Essex in England to Welsh parents, but his family moved to Ireland when he was just a one-year-old. Advertisement His Irish citizenship was conferred at a ceremony in Killarney, Co Kerry on Monday. Some 7,500 people will officially become Irish citizens across Monday and Tuesday. He described an 'amazingly joyful event'. 'For all of us, a monumental day,' he told RTÉ wearing the distinctive hat he is known for, as well as an Irish flag badge on the lapel of his jacket. Advertisement 'I'm a little tardy on the paperwork – I've been living in Ireland since I was one but the time was right and I couldn't be more proud of my country for all that it represents and all it's doing. 'It's showing real leadership right now in the world and this couldn't have come at a better moment for me.' The Edge, a guitarist in U2, has been involved with the band since its formation in Dublin in the late 1970s, going on to win scores of music awards. U2's Bono and The Edge (left) performs on stage at the U2 eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour. The O2 Arena, London. U2 is also noted for speaking out with songs such as Sunday Bloody Sunday about the shooting of unarmed protesters in Londonderry in 1972 by British soldiers, New Year's Day which became associated with the Polish Solidarity movement and Pride (In The Name Of Love) in tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. Advertisement They also strongly supported efforts to secure peace in Northern Ireland with the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The band played Sunday Bloody Sunday last month with a call to 'stop war' at the Ivors award ceremony. The performance came as the group became the first Irish songwriters to be awarded an academy fellowship at the 70th year of the awards ceremony, hosted at London's Grosvenor House.
The Guardian
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
U2 guitarist The Edge becomes Irish citizen – after 62 years in the country
After decades of finely balanced procrastination, the U2 guitarist The Edge has officially become Irish. The 63-year-old British subject was conferred with Irish citizenship on Monday, 62 years after moving to Ireland in a step he said was 'long overdue'. U2 may be a symbol of Ireland, and The Edge's woolly caps may verge on national treasure status, but David Howell Evans had not been a citizen until now. 'I'm a little tardy with the paperwork,' he told reporters after a conferring ceremony in Killarney, County Kerry. 'I've been living in Ireland now since I was one year old. But the time is right. And I couldn't be more proud of my country for all that it represents and all that it is doing.' Evans was born in England to Welsh parents but has considered himself Irish – and Ireland his home – since he was a toddler. He formed U2 in 1976 with three Dublin classmates – Paul Hewson, better known as Bono, Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton – and went on to record Sunday Bloody Sunday and other songs that became Irish anthems. Evans, however, never got around to applying for citizenship. 'Honestly, there were many moments in the past when I could have done it with just the form to be filled out but I'm happy it's now, it feels more significant,' he said. Wearing an Irish tricolour clip, Evans swore an oath of loyalty and fidelity to the Irish state with hundreds of other newly created citizens in the Gleneagle arena – one of several back-to-back ceremonies that will confer citizenship on 7,500 people on Monday and Tuesday. He said the ceremony had been very moving and especially significant for him because of Ireland's support for multilateral organisations, such as the international criminal court and the UN, and for 'speaking truth to power'. 'I have always felt Irish, Ireland will always be home to me and I'm so grateful for that,' he said. Ireland was showing real leadership in the world, he said. 'It couldn't come at a better moment for me so I am just so happy to be at this point, to be in even deeper connection with my homeland.' Critics of U2 say the band's tax arrangements, which route some income not generated in Ireland overseas, undermine its commitment to the country. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion The 7,500 applicants at the Kerry ceremonies come from more than 143 countries, with the biggest number from Indiawith 1,888, followed by Brazil with 817, the UK 516, the Philippines 480, Romania 470, and Poland 396. They include shop assistants, meat plant workers and financiers. The minister for justice, home affairs and migration, Jim O'Callaghan, said the ceremonies were milestones that would connect the new citizens to their adopted homeland. He said: 'It is a great privilege to become a citizen of this country and obviously with it comes responsibilities and duties, and I think everyone who is taking on citizenship will be aware of that.' His comments came amid a growing backlash against immigration in the US and Europe, including Ireland and Northern Ireland. Thousands of protesters attended a rally in central Dublin on Sunday, some holding banners saying 'Ireland is full', others with caps saying 'Make Ireland Great Again'.
