Ambassador's Message, Summer 2021
News
30 June 2021A cháirde Gael - Irish friends
Agus muid i mbun dul isteach i míonna te agus meirbh an tsamhraidh, ba mhaith liom gach rath a ghuí oraibh go léir agus ar bhur dteaghlaigh i rith an tsamhraidh, cibé an mbeidh tú á chaitheamh anseo sa Mhurascaill, in Éirinn nó in áit eile.
As we enter the hot and humid summer months, I want to wish all of you and your families every good wish for the summer, whether you will be spending it here in the Gulf, in Ireland or elsewhere.
Making travel arrangements is far from straightforward this year, with COVID-19 quarantine, vaccination and testing requirements all having to be navigated, and here in the Embassy we are very much aware of the frustration and upset that many of you feel. It can be hard to keep track of all of the different rules and regulations, both here in the Gulf and at home in Ireland, and if you haven’t done so already, I would urge you to check out the Embassy’s FAQs.
I know that many of you have received the Sinopharm vaccine and that it is a cause of particular frustration that, as it is not an EMA-approved vaccine, it is not amongst the vaccines which exempt travellers from the Mandatory Hotel Quarantine requirement in Ireland. I want to reassure you that we have conveyed both your concerns and the local testing, vaccination and case data to the authorities in Ireland and continue to update them on the situation here.
Notwithstanding the onset of the Delta variant, we are hopefully much closer to the end of the pandemic than the beginning, with a return to a more normal life almost within our grasp. Personally, I am looking forward to getting back on the road and travelling internally here in the UAE once more. I am also looking forward to getting back in the air and travelling to Qatar and Kuwait, finally getting to meet up in person with Irish community, business, political and cultural contacts right across the region in a way that has not been possible over the past eighteen months.
In terms of re-booting and re-calibrating the Embassy's activities in the region, Dubai Expo 2020 will be a focal point for us. It is full steam ahead now, with our pavilion among the first to be completed and strong business and cultural programmes taking shape. It promises to be the first global gathering of its kind since the onset of the pandemic and we are very excited about the possibilities it holds for us. I hope that many of you will take the time to visit Expo 2020 and to see what Ireland is offering to the world.
Once again, I want to wish you all a safe and relaxing summer and I look forward to seeing more of you all on the other side of the summer.
Arís eile, tá súil agam go mbeidh Samhradh sábháilte suaimhneach ag gach uile agus táim ag tnúth sibh a fheiceáil níos mó ar an taobh eile den Samhradh.
Aodán Ó Cróinín
Ambasadóir na hÉireann
