Joseph 'Keola' Donaghy was on his way to Cork to study for a PhD in ethnomusicology at UCC when officers from the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) stopped his entry to the country as he got off his flight from Los Angeles at Dublin airport.

Donaghy, a US citizen, lecturer at the University of Hawaii and voting member for the prestigious annual Grammy music awards, has now cancelled the move to Ireland and returned to Hawaii.

Along with his wife Marie and daughter Denyce, he immediately flew back to New York when they were refused entry at Dublin airport.

They stayed with relatives in Philadelphia until the middle of last week as they awaited a response to a formal letter of appeal Donaghy had sent to a garda superintendent at the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

Donaghy told the Sunday Tribune this weekend: "We are in Nevada taking a vacation before we head back to Hawaii. We decided to come home after I received a fax from the garda superintendent's office to say our appeal was denied.

"In his opinion, the officer who refused us land was in compliance with immigration law and policy and was justified in his decision. We are angry that we were offered no opportunity to offer our side of the story beyond what was contained in my appeal letter."

Labour Party TD Ruairi Quinn, who branded Donaghy's plight a "mess", said: "I am very disappointed by the failure of the government to respond to what appears to be a very genuine case. I will be following this up with a parliamentary question."

Donaghy had been planning his trip to Cork to complete his doctoral research programme of five years and he has spent the past nine months finalising arrangements with UCC for the trip.