February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
When O?Hara arrived at the courthouse to sign her application papers and to take the oath of citizenship, the clerk instructed her to raise her right hand and forswear allegiance to England. O?Hara was startled by this request.
?I’m terribly sorry, but I can’t forswear an allegiance I don’t have,? O?Hara said. ?I have no allegiance to England at all. I’m Irish.?
?Well, you?d better read these papers,? replied the clerk.
Upon closer examination, O?Hara discovered that in every space where she?d listed her former nationality as ?Irish,? someone had crossed it out and put in the word ?English.? The actress was furious.
?I don?t know who corrected these papers,? she said. ?But I?m Irish and I can?t accept it.?
O?Hara was directed to appear before the judge. Since she was not permitted to bring her lawyer into the courtroom, she argued her own case, explaining the historical and political implications of the issue. At the end of her speech, the judge was unconvinced.
?Well, as far as I?m concerned, you?re English,? he declared.
The actress remained firm in her convictions.
?I cannot accept it,? she said. ?Under these circumstances, I can?t be an American citizen. ?
Eager to avoid an international incident, the judge instructed the court clerk to put in a call to Washington for a final determination.
?Washington says she?s English,? came the reply.
O?Hara stood firm.
?I?m very sorry,? she said. ?But I?m not responsible for your antiquated records in Washington . . . I can?t accept citizenship under these conditions.?
As O?Hara turned to leave the courtroom, she decided to make a personal appeal to the judge.
?Do you realize what you?re trying to do to my children and grandchildren?? she demanded. ?You?re trying to take away their right to boast about their wonderful Irish mother and grandmother!?
The judge knew when he was beaten.
?Give her anything she wants on her papers!? he roared to the clerk. ?Just get her out of here!?
O?Hara?s naturalization papers were amended, and she was granted U.S. citizenship. Irish president Eamon De Valera issued a statement praising her fight for recognition.
?We are today an independent republic,? he wrote. ?We acknowledge no sovereignty but our own. . . . Miss O?Hara was right when she asserted she owed no allegiance to Britain and therefore had none which she could renounce.?