After 52 hours of travel, Cork GAA referee Shane Scanlon says he is relieved to be back on home soil, having been stranded in Dubai for almost a week due to air strikes across the Middle East.
He was one of 194 passengers on the Irish Government’s first chartered evacuation flight from the region — travelling from Oman via Cairo — which touched down in Dublin Airport shortly before 5am on Sunday.
Newcestown native Mr Scanlon was in Dubai to officiate at the Middle East GAA hurling league finals, which took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Recalling the 52-hour trip to Ireland, Mr Scanlon told that the travelling group encountered delays crossing the border from the UAE into Oman.
On top of that, the plane…