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Please be advised that the Embassy of Ireland, United Arab Emirates website has moved and this page is no longer being updated. The Embassy website is now available at Ireland.ie/abudhabi.

Irish Societies in the Gulf

The resident Irish community in the Gulf States is large, dynamic and vibrant.

There has been a strong growth in the resident Irish community in the UAE in recent years and there are now over 10,000 Irish citizens officially resident in the Emirates.

In addition, there are approximately 2,000 Irish nationals in Qatar and 250 in Kuwait.

The dynamism and hard work of the resident Irish community in the Gulf States ensured the success of the GAA's First World Games which took place in Abu Dhabi in March 2015. The second World Games was held in Dublin in 2019, with the Middle East team triumphing in many categories.

Overall there are approximately 60 Irish businesses with a presence on the ground in the UAE and 150 more exporting. In addition, there are a number of local businesses owned by Irish people, i.e. without an Irish base.

The vibrancy of the Irish community in the Gulf States is reflected in the very active Irish societies, GAA clubs and business networks in the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait.

Abu Dhabi

Dubai

Sharjah

Ras Al Khaimah

Fujairah

Qatar

Kuwait