The soft rain falling on the roof of Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport never felt so welcome for passengers from Dubai, who arrived home to tears of relief.
“We’re delighted to be back, even if it is raining outside,” said Ruth Lynch, who arrived in Dublin with her new husband Cathal Lynch after what might be described as an eventual honeymoon.
They were greeted by Ruth’s sister Helen, who carried mauve and white balloons and a Mr & Mrs sign for the newlyweds.
The couple, who live in Kilkenny, got married on December 19th and went off on honeymoon in early February to Australia for what was supposed to be three weeks.
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“The three-week holiday turned into four weeks. The hard part was not knowing when we could leave the country,” said Ruth.
The couple were on a stopover in Dubai from Australia when the first Iranian attack on the city happened on Saturday morning. They had been an hour away from boarding their scheduled flight back to Dublin.
“It was weird seeing missiles over our heads. We’re not used to that,” said Cathal.
“It’s great to be home. My sister is not so lucky, she’s still there,” said Colette Cummins from Malahide, who went to visit family in Dubai.
“It was scary at the beginning. Then it died down, but it started back again today. We just got information on the plane that the air raid sirens were starting up again.
“The people who were living there were very calm. I couldn’t say anything bad about them.”
A trip to Dubai was supposed to be Dymphna Macken’s 40th birthday present. She and her husband Hugh, from Banbridge, Co Down, were supposed to fly back on Monday.
They returned to a reception committee of four of their relatives. “We can’t wait to give them a big hug. We really miss them,” said Dymphna Macken’s sister, Mary Kate White.
“I missed the children so much. I’m shaking. It took us three flights to get home,” said Dymphna.
Polish man Kuba Sieriowski was greeted at the airport by his wife Kasia and their 14-month-old, who seemed oblivious to the fuss around him.
Sieriowski said there were multiple cancellations before he was able to get his flight. He and his colleague decided to visit Fairmont The Palm hotel in the luxurious Palm Jumeirah area of Dubai. It was hit by a rocket.
“A colleague went to the Palm. ‘Look there’s some fireworks’, but they weren’t exploding,” he said.
[ Gleaming image of Dubai as a safe haven shaken by Iranian missiles and dronesOpens in new window ]
“And there was a bang and we saw police cars. Half an hour later we saw the hotel on fire and rescue teams on site. We were very close.”
While there were joyous scenes in the arrivals hall of Terminal 2, a steady stream of passengers queued for the Emirates flight to Dubai from Dublin.
John and Marie Harris from Loughrea, Co Galway, have just become grandparents for the first time. They had their flights booked since last October.
They are going to see their daughter Clodagh, who gave birth last Thursday. “We’d like to see our granddaughter, but most importantly she needs our help,” said Marie.
The couple have been to Dubai many times before and were not fazed about going again. “From what I have heard the UAE has a superb air defence,” said her husband.
