'Piercing alarms' and deserted streets: Irish in Middle East describe 'surreal' experience

Vicky Creber, a Cork visitor to Abu Dhabi, said a sudden 'piercing alarm' sounded on every phone in the room, ordering guests to seek immediate shelter due to a missile threat.

Irish holidaymakers have described their terror at the sight of missiles and drone interceptions unfolding in the skies above Dubai as Iran retaliated against US-Israeli bombs.

The rapidly escalating conflict has left thousands stranded, with no idea how to get home or when they will be able to leave. The Taoiseach has urged Irish people in the affected regions across the Middle East to continue to shelter, while foreign affairs minister Helen McEntee said plans are under consideration for evacuation, if needed.

Speaking on Cork's 96fm on Monday, Vicky Creber, who is in Abu Dhabi for a holiday, described the experience as “very, very surreal”.

“Everything escalated very quickly,” she said.

She said the ordeal began on Saturday when she went for lunch with a group of friends.

“On Saturday, we had booked a lovely brunch in the Ritz-Carlton, four of us. We got there at 12.30pm and I would say by 1.15pm, news started breaking that there were strikes.

“The atmosphere there was just so surreal. And then an alarm went off on every single person's phone, like a piercing alarm, and it just said due to the current situation and a missile threat, please seek immediate shelter and stay away from it."

She said it was the “most surreal experience of my life, sitting in the Ritz-Carlton in the most amazing place, drinking champagne and then you’re told to leave the building.

“We couldn’t leave the hotel,” she said.

She described how her friend Jean said it was like a scene from the Titanic.

“I said, sure if it all ends here, like what better way to go. Like that was, I suppose, a very much an Irish way of dealing with this.”

However, she said she was “shaking, absolutely shaking”.

Ms Creber was 20 minutes from her hotel, but the airstrikes were near her at the time.

The silence

“We went to a friend's house first, which was close by, and we stayed there for an hour or two. Then we got in a taxi and came back to our hotel, and then it started again. Twice again the alarms went off on the phones," she said.

Ms Creber said she was due to fly out of Abu Dhabi on Monday morning via London and back to Cork. However, Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports were closed.

“It would remind you of covid times when all the flights stopped and you know that silence in the air... The silence, but then you hear a bang.”

Fionn Dwyer, a Carrigaline native living in Dubai for two years, said he is reassured by the effectiveness of the UAE’s multi-billion-dollar defence systems.

“I genuinely have 100% confidence in the systems here... it’s probably one of the safest places to be in the Middle East. When you hear a bang, that is the sound of you being kept safe," he told the Opinion Line.

Mr Dwyer said the biggest threat is falling debris as opposed to missile strikes.

“Stay inside, don't be going down to the beach. You just have to follow the instructions," he said.

A former Irish journalist spoke of "terrifying" missiles being intercepted over Dubai this weekend, where she is currently living.

Catriona Loughran, aged 43 from Co Tyrone, is based in Dubai Marina — a tourist mecca for holidaymakers.

Former journalist Catriona Loughran, who is living in Dubai, said up until Saturday, it was always 'an extremely safe place'.

She moved to Dubai two years ago with her husband, where she has worked as a communications officer for a humanitarian agency.

She said up until Saturday, it was always “an extremely safe place”.

“We had heard this might happen, but when you actually hear the sound of the missiles and the large supersonic boom could be heard, it’s really terrifying," she said.

“Our apartment is in the Marina, which is a real tourist hotspot. We are also very close to the Fairmont Hotel, where the impact of the strike has been the loudest.

“We really couldn’t believe what we were hearing; it was so loud. Today, Monday, it’s like being in covid again, the place is completely deserted”.

Ms Loughran said she first heard about the strikes on the news.

"We didn’t know when it would happen, and we didn’t want to believe it,” she said.

“I was standing at the kitchen sink when this massive supersonic missile — it was unbelievable, we were saying ‘did we just hear that?’ to one another.

“We went to the window, and everyone was at their window looking at the sky, and we said, ‘This is really happening’. Then there were more at 6pm the next day, and then on Sunday morning at 10am.

“This weekend has really laid bare that we might be safe in Dubai, but we are also in the middle of a volatile area in the Middle East, and we can’t be complacent.

“A lot of the tourists are trying to get home; it has been very frightening.”

Limited flights

Limited flight operations such as cargo from Abu Dhabi have resumed, but most commercial flights remain grounded. 

Airline Emirates began operating a limited number of flights on Monday evening.

“We are accommodating customers with earlier bookings as a priority, and those who have been rebooked to travel on these limited flights will be contacted directly by Emirates.

“Please do not go to the airport unless you have been notified.

"All other flights remain suspended until further notice. Emirates continues to monitor the situation," the airline said.