Irish citizens are now trapped in Dubai by travel bans linked to civil disputes that are preventing them from fleeing the Middle East war, a legal organisation has warned. Detained in Dubai, which provides legal assistance to people in the UAE, said it was concerned about Irish citizens who now cannot leave the country due to “trivial bans”. Detained in Dubai said it had received a surge of calls from residents frightened by the situation and desperate for the option to return home. “People are calling us in tears,” Radha Stirling, chief executive of Detained in Dubai, said. “But in the UAE these disputes can result in travel bans that effectively trap people in the country until the matter is resolved.

Source: Irish Examiner March 09, 2026 16:19 UTC