http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2011/1007/1224305390909.html

Did you never hear of Dual Citizenship .No? I know lots of Americans here and Irish in America with both passports and citizenship.
DeValera was American was he an illegal candidate.

One thing we’ve learnt is when candidates look like they are being smeared .They actually GO UP in the polls.So word of advice.Shut up.PLEASE.

@ Barry, it works if they are American and look for Irish, they don’t take the pledge over here. was dev not American national with Irish citizenship. slight difference. I may be wrong, haven’t access to full internet on train, hoping someone with a legal background replies, I have no political agenda for any one candidate but as an Irish citizen I want to see a fair and legal election.

Barry from my understanding and to follow on from John Mack, if you are born in the US you will automatically get citizenship and obviously as a baby you don’t take an oath. Dev would have received his citizenship automatically without having to take an oath. Dana on the other hand had to take an oath because she was being naturalized and that oath contains the words ” I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen” I think that’s where the problem lies.

This is the start of the oath Dana would’ve taken on becoming a naturalised US citizen, i.e gaining dual-citizenship. DeValera never took this oath obviously as he was born there. Definitely a matter for the attorney general I think.

”I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen”

Obviously doesn’t matter though, she hasn’t a prayer!

No its legal, she took US Citizenship in 0ct 1999 not 1997 this matter was clarified today to RTE by the remarkable Irishwomen Dana Rosemary Scallon former MEP for President.
which is i understand duel citizenship for president of Ireland is an advantage for Dana and Ireland.

She’s obviously got dual citizenship. Most countries allow for this. Ireland does.As does the States.To the best of my knowledge.
DeVelera was an American too.

Can she credibly continue her campaign if this is the oath she took?

It is legal to have duel Citizenship.as she clarified this occured in Oct 1999 US Citizenship and not 1997.
I and many others support Dana Rosemary Scallon to be the President of Ireland.
The President represents all Irish Citizens, home and abroad, and duel Citizenship is an advantage for Ireland with an remarkable Irish women former MEP Dana Rosemary Scallon who stands for trust and protection of the Irish people Constitution.,

if she was American and then looked for Irish one then yes, as far as I know we don’t ask new citizens to renounce their previous citizenship. will have to wait for some lawyers to have their coffee and thus inform us.

@Bren, Its not the problem that she holds an US passport, it’s the fact that to become a citizen of the US she would have to give up all other citizenship, this works only one way due to the fact that they take an oath to get US citizenship.

Which means even though she was born in London (1951) and grew up in Derry (1965) she had Irish Citizenship and British, when she sought American Citizenship (1997) (she had to renounce both Irish and British under their oath).

“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen”

Jump on 60ish years. Article 12 para 4.1
“Every citizen who has reached his thirty-fifth year of age is eligible for election to the office of President.”
Important word there is Citizen, she gave it up when she got her American one.

In Ireland we have a dual Citizenship with some countries, they are allowed to remain citizens of the original state and seek Irish, both countries/state acknowledge this and some states request that you surrender your previous citizenship.