Colin O'Donnell, who made a name for himself on the Australian pub circuit and was known to "pack a house" with his Irish Rebel Night gigs, is back in his Cork home after Australian immigration officials deported him last week.
Immigration officers arrested the entertainer while he was playing in a Sydney bar. Astonished punters watched in amazement when four immigration officers arrested him and took him to Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. O'Donnell said he spent six days in detention until his flatmate paid $8,000 (about €4,860) bail to secure his conditional release.
He said he was disappointed, but not bitter. "After seven years it was like my home. I had made many friends in that time and starting all over again in Ireland is going to be hard."
About 400 Irish nationals are found to be working illegally in Australia each year. Some own up to their illegal status in the hope of having their subsequent visa applications treated favourably. All illegal immigrants in Australia face mandatory detention at one of the government's privately-run jails.