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Aly Dunne was tired of the "green card" that was timing 18 in her wallet. It was time to trade it in.
She applied to become a U.S. citizen and studied for the exam. When the appointed day arrived, the interviewer asked her, "Why now? Why become a citizen now?" Dunne replied, "I have to vote! I can't go another year without voting!"
She became a citizen earlier this year and is filled with an enormous amount of pride. "I just love America so much and what it stands for and the vision that was set (by the authors of) the Declaration of Independence."
Dunne's first arrival in America came in the form of four-color, glossy magazine covers. Her face graced fashion magazines across Europe and the United States. America actually saw Dunne before she saw America.
Dunne was born in the Irish seaside town of Dun Laoire and grew up in the neighboring town of Killaney She was the youngest of three girls. "I was my father's last hope" of having a son. She was a tomboy a tall tomboy. "I was extremely tan for my age. I was 5-foot-11 at the age of 11."
Her father was an electrical contractor who built up his business without any formal education. His success enabled Aly to leave convent school and attend the privately run Rathdown School.
Dunne likened her father's life to those of the characters in the book "Angela's Ashes."
"He was one of 11 (children) and the only one to survive."
She would accompany him to his office where she...