By Evelyn Cullen
A JAPANESE woman living in Letterkenny was among the 5,000 people who were granted their Irish citizenship in ceremonies held over two days in February at the Convention Centre in Dublin.
Kazuko Umeda, who has lived in Ireland for seven years, received her citizenship on February 14, during the second day of the proceedings.
“It’s so fitting that I got my citizenship on Valentine’s Day, because I love Ireland and I love living in Letterkenny,” she told the Donegal News.
Letterkenny resident, Kazuko Umeda, from Yokohama in Japan, who recently became an Irish citizen.
“It was a long and expensive process, but it was worth it and I am absolutely thrilled now to say I am Irish.”
The process took more than a year and because of the long wait, was filled with uncertainty, explained Kaz, as she is known to her friends.
“The wait felt so long and I was anxious about it. But now that I have the citizenship, I have more security and stability in my life and work. It’s a great feeling,” said Kaz, who works as a business analyst in the town.
Kaz is originally from Yokohama in the eastern part of Japan, just south of Tokyo and she was glad to get home for a visit last year.
“Although my life is here now, it’s still very important to me to keep my ties with my friends in family in Japan,” she said.
She has lots of friends in Letterkenny and enjoys sharing Japanese food and culture with them. She loves cooking and regularly makes Japanese dishes such as sushi and okonomiyaki (a traditional comfort food made with cabbage), for her friends and neighbours.
New Irish citizen, Kazuko Umeda, proudly displays her Irish flag pin.
She’s active in her local community, volunteering often with the Donegal Volunteer Centre. She keeps fit by attending classes in salsa dancing and boxing, and loves getting to the many beautiful beaches nearby when the sun shines, such as Rathmullan and Portnablagh.
She was legally required to give up her Japanese citizenship, since Japanese law does not allow dual citizenship, which she found daunting at first.
“It made me question my identity,” she said. But she has since come to a perfect understanding of who she is.
“I’m proud to be Japanese-Irish,” she beamed.
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