Ceremony sees people from 68 countries receive Irish citizenship https://t.co/gu992YLGDl

— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) September 10, 2018

Those holding a Polish nationality made up 85 of the newly proclaimed Irish citizens, representing the largest share of any national background.

The second-largest representation went to the United Kingdom, with 47 British recipients in total at Monday’s ceremony.

David Bacon, originally from England, had arrived in Ireland in 2005 with his Irish wife, Aisling, whom he had wed in 2001. Now an Offaly resident himself, he sees Ireland as his home and says he very much identifies with Irish culture and life, adding, “I always thought about citizenship, and when Brexit landed I knew I had to do it sooner rather than later.”