IRELAND RUGBY STAR Bundee Aki has said it’s an “honour” to have been granted Irish citizenship at a ceremony today.

Born in New Zealand, Aki has been representing Ireland in rugby union since 2017.

He was one of around 3,600 people to be granted Irish citizenship across three ceremonies at the Convention Centre in Dublin today.

People from 143 countries around the world and living in the 32 counties of the island of Ireland were today conferred as Irish citizens.

Congratulations to all 3600 new #Irishcitizens2024 who are being granted Irish citizenship today! Your contributions to Irish society make Ireland a more diverse and vibrant place to live. We wish you all the best as you continue to enrich our communitieshttps://t.co/ggrwFB6GeI pic.twitter.com/a8DNbXeo6q

— Department of Justice 🇮🇪 (@DeptJusticeIRL) September 16, 2024

There have been 14 such ceremonies so far this year, with close to 11,500 people attending and gaining Irish citizenship.

Speaking to Virgin Media, Aki said it means “everything” to be granted Irish citizenship and he added: “There’s not a bad word I could speak about Ireland.”

And speaking to RTÉ, Aki said he has “embraced” the people of Ireland and feels as though they have equally embraced him and his family.

“To be granted citizenship is not something that you take lightly,” said Aki, “and I’m going to enjoy this moment and cherish it.”

Speaking ahead of today’s ceremonies, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said: “It fills me with joy being able to share this special day with so many people.

“I have no doubt that they will continue to contribute to making Ireland a more diverse and vibrant place to live.”

Meanwhile, Minister of State with responsibility for Integration Joe O’Brien thanked the new Irish citizens for “choosing Ireland as their home and for contributing so much to our nation”, and Neale Richmond cited the “integral role” migration “plays in the development and sustainability of our economy”.

Citizenship ceremonies were first introduced in 2011 to mark the occasion of the granting of citizenship.

Since Citizenship Ceremonies 2011, there have been 190 Ceremonies with people from over 180 countries.

To date, around 180,000 people have received Irish citizenship since 2011, inclusive of today’s ceremony.

Meanwhile, the Citizenship Division has introduced significant changes to speed up the applications process for applicants, including the introduction of an online digital application, online payments, and eVetting.

Over the last two years, the Citizenship Division has gone from processing around 12,000 applications a year to processing over 20,000 applications in 2023.

Close to 16,000 decisions have been made in the first half of the year.