Cormac Lynch, a 26-year-old architect who has been in Dubai for eight months, says he came for economic opportunity, and knows many people in architecture and design who came over for the opportunity to create something new.

He tells Time Out:

I’m from Dublin and, although Dublin’s also a city, when I first came out here, I still found it daunting. But I really like it now – the sun, the beach and all the people you meet. I like that there are so many international people here that you wouldn’t necessarily meet back home in Ireland.

I do miss the rain, I have to say, and the greenness of everything, but other than that, I don’t miss much. I never go anywhere that’s strictly Irish, like the Irish Village. Like I said, I’m here to meet new people, though I have met some Irish people at Gaelic matches, which take place in Safa Park.

Read more about Cormac and some fellow Dubai-based expats on the TimeOutDubai.com website.

Related websites:

• Dubai Irish Society
• Dubai Celts GAA
• Irish presence in Dubai continues to grow (Sunday Business Post, 21/5/06)