For what it’s worth, this has been the same every year. I think COVID significantly disrupted their normal workflow, but everything is (slowly) getting back the old ways now.
Before COVID, there would always be 1-3 smaller ceremonies every year and they would never be announced on INIS’s website.
I used to release such information earlier than someone would publicly come forward and confirm their invitation letter from INIS (e.g.
ireland/next-ceremony-after-29-april-t279434.html), and I would usually receive the same types of doubts and questions. I was later asked not to release such information.
It is understandably frustrating for someone to have pay the fees and not receiving the invitation. INIS is not giving away too much on how such invitations are issued for smaller ceremonies. All I can say is that smaller ceremonies are intended to relieve pressure on specific units - it can be pressure from local TD’s, applicants who have sent numerous chase letters, people with special needs, plus a few lucky ones who happen to be in the area.
INIS still wants the vast majority of applicants to attend the main ceremony in Kerry, as that one is much more ‘formal’ than the rest. I know most of you just want to get the ordeal done and don’t care about the ceremony itself (and I know the overwhelming majority would hate to travel to Kerry for that, me included), but that’s what INIS has planned for most of you and you were advised at the very beginning that this is the likely outcome, so you would have to just accept it. The old way of being sworn in at your local court along with other criminals and suspects were quite negative and that process is long gone.