Citizenship

American actor and director Mel Gibson is also an Irish citizen and has even been given the freedom of the town of Trim in Co Meath. Many may associate the star with Scotland after his performance as William Wallace in one of his most famous movies, Braveheart.

Tens of millions of people across the world have Irish heritage and many of them actually qualify for Irish citizenship – even if they have never set foot in Ireland. Many people like to exercise this right in order to feel more closely linked to their heritage.

Punk icon John Lydon has spoken about how his Irish heritage has influenced his music and why he travels on an Irish passport. The Sex Pistols and PiL frontman was born in Holloway, North London and grew up in Finsbury Park, an area with a large Irish, Pakistani and Jamaican …

Many people across the world are proud of their Irish heritage, but can they actually become an Irish citizen as a result of their ancestry? Hollywood star John C Reilly recently revealed that he was to become an Irish citizen, despite being ‘one grandparent away’ from being eligible.

Ireland is the second-best country in the world to hold citizenship, according to an international study ranking the rights and benefits of different nation’s citizens. Italian Dual Citizenships conducted the study which measured the rights of citizens from different countries over a vast range of issues.

The Irish passport is one of the most powerful in the world, according to the latest calculations by the Henley Passport Index. Henley studied data from the International Air Transport Association to see how freely a citizen was able to travel using the passport of their country.

Top UK comedian Jimmy Carr has spoken about his Irish heritage and how being from an Irish family would sometimes cause problems for him growing up. Carr has been one of the UK’s most successful comedians over the last two decades and his aloof but easy-going style has made him …

American legend Gene Kelly was one of the major stars of the golden age of Hollywood. In 1999, the multi-talented actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, director and producer was named the 15th greatest male screen legend of all time by the American Film Institute.

American actress Olivia Wilde has spoken about her childhood summers in Ireland and her pride in being an Irish citizen. Unusually, she qualified for Irish citizenship, despite not having any Irish blood.

With news that American star John C Reilly is to become an Irish citizen, we wondered how many people from overseas dreamed of doing the same.