Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee has urged the estimated 20,000 Irish citizens living in Gulf states to remain where they are and avoid attempting to exit via land crossings as instability continues, reports RTE.
Several Gulf nations have been targeted in attacks after Iran pledged to launch its “most intense operation” to date in response to the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reports RTE.
The 86-year-old was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike yesterday morning, heightening fears of a further escalation of tensions across the Middle East.
“If you’re talking about those who are resident as well as those transiting through, you are talking about up to 20,000 [Irish people in the region],” Ms McEntee told RTÉ’s This Week, reports RTE.
“If you compare us to other countries of our size we have a very large number of people … we have many young people teaching, working there, and so we have a much larger number than perhaps other countries of our size would have,” reports RTE.
She said she was not aware of any Irish citizens being injured or directly affected by the events, but acknowledged how distressing the situation is for families in Ireland with loved ones in the region.
The minister noted that many Irish citizens, particularly those in the United Arab Emirates, have already signed up to the department’s citizen registration system and she urged others to do likewise, reports RTE.
“We’re asking people to register so that we have a complete picture of who is there, reports RTE.
“We have a general sense of the numbers who are working there and are resident, however, we know there are many people on holidays who wouldn’t ordinarily register, we know there are many people who would be transiting through, so this will allow us to have the information and contact details of those,” reports RTE.
She added that the department has established a consular helpline operating around the clock and advised people to monitor its social media accounts for the latest updates.
She firmly warned Irish citizens against attempting to travel by land to neighbouring countries, including Oman, reports RTE.
“This is a unique consular situation, with a large number of citizens located in UAE in particular, and with local and regional airports shut and in some cases under attack,” she said, reports RTE.
“As of now, there are no evacuation routes recommended for Gulf countries and so the advice is to shelter in place,” reports RTE.
Ms McEntee later confirmed that she had spoken with the UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and conveyed Ireland’s sympathies to those affected by recent attacks in the UAE over the past 36 hours.
“The UAE is an important and valued partner and many Irish people call the UAE home,” she said, reports RTE.
“In this uncertain time, the safety of Irish citizens in the UAE and wider region is my utmost priority and I deeply appreciate the efforts of the UAE Government to keep all residents safe and informed,” reports RTE.
Michaela Piare, a science and maths teacher from Kildare working at an international school in Doha, Qatar, told RTÉ’s This Week that the skies over her area have been “very active” in recent weeks.
“[The bombs] were coming in waves of twos or fours or eights, reports RTE.
“Towards the evenings, there was about 20 all at the same time, a bit like fireworks in the sky, reports RTE.
“We get an alert in on our phones – sort of like a government directive, sending out a signal to shelter and stay safe,” reports RTE.
Ms Piare said she spent yesterday with friends, watching the missiles from her balcony.
“It [the attacks] just seems to be direct attacks on the US-base, reports RTE.
“We are very fortunate that we haven’t had any casualties in the form of civilians,” reports RTE.
Ms Piare, whose working week runs from Sunday to Thursday, conducted her classes online today as a precautionary measure.
She described the city as quiet, with many eateries and retail outlets shut apart from supermarkets, reports RTE.
“We couldn’t be traveling whenever there’s missiles going off, reports RTE.
“It started again this morning around 7 o’clock. very loud in comparison to what we had yesterday, reports RTE.
“I say we’ve had another 40 or 50 of them throughout the day today, reports RTE.
“It doesn’t look like it’s going to let up today. Last year it was just one night and it was just response from a US attack on Iran, reports RTE.
“It was one evening and that was it. was done, reports RTE.
“This seems to be a little bit more long term,” reports RTE.
Ms Piare added that Doha has a sizeable Irish community who have remained in close contact with each other over the weekend.
Kuwait has a considerably smaller Irish population compared with Qatar, reports RTE.
Daragh Meredith, an English teacher from Laois employed at an American school in Kuwait, said he felt his apartment shake as bombs exploded in the city.
“We could hear a couple of explosions,” he said, reports RTE.
Mr Meredith has a one-month-old daughter.
His mother-in-law, who had travelled to visit, is unable to return home because Kuwaiti airspace has been closed, reports RTE.
His own parents have yet to meet their newborn granddaughter.
“We’re just staying calm, following all procedures,” he said adding that he had already been contacted by the Irish embassy in Abu Dhabi, reports RTE.
Mr Meredith said he feels secure as the missiles are not aimed at civilian locations, although he is currently working remotely.
Among those unable to travel is Patrick Lawson, a British national who has lived in Ireland for more than 25 years, reports RTE.
The father of three, who resides in Duagh in Co Kerry, is stranded in Doha while returning home from visiting his sister in Australia.
He said he has received no response from Qatar Airways or the Department of Foreign Affairs as he seeks assistance, reports RTE.
“My family is trying to get a hold of Qatar, and we’ve been left on hold for hours at an end, and then the phone just hangs up, reports RTE.
“I did manage yesterday to change my flight for tonight, but that’s been cancelled, and I’m getting nothing from Qatar Airways at all at this stage so my plan is tomorrow is to try and get to the airport again and see if I can speak to someone in person, reports RTE.
“I’ve registered with both the Irish and the UK governments. The only thing that I’ve got back is emails back from the UK government to say that I registered with them,” he said, reports RTE.
Mr Lawson added: “I’ve nothing back from the Irish government. If they just got back and said, look, we don’t know anything, that’s better than being ignored, which is the way I feel right now, reports RTE.
“There’s three other Irish people here all in the same boat,” reports RTE.
Travel Extra editor Eoghan Corry said that if airport closures across the Middle East persist, it could significantly disrupt travel arrangements for tens of thousands of passengers, particularly those travelling between Ireland and Australia.
He said the disruption would have “huge implications for connectivity, for Ireland and for connectivity from Europe”, reports RTE.
“While February is low season in Europe, it’s high season in Australia, reports RTE.
“So unless the airports find some way of reopening quickly, we’re going to be start running into problems where we have tens of thousands of people displaced and waiting for the flight home,” said Mr Corry, reports RTE.
He added: “There are other options for people trying to use the Middle East as a hub. For example, Qatar would have an arrangement with British Airways. So there are options to get people from Dublin to Heathrow and perhaps take those direct flights down to Perth, reports RTE.
“But the options are limited enough because Istanbul, which is the other major hub going in that direction, doesn’t have a direct route to Australia, reports RTE.
“In the meantime, it’s really important to get those three major international airports open, because it’s February, but the numbers increase historically through March, April and May, reports RTE.
“If there isn’t a quick resolution to getting the airports open, whatever about the rest of the conflict, the problem is just grow and grow and grow,” reports RTE.
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