Government departments are scrambling to change ministers' travel plans for St Patrick’s Day amid concerns about flying over or through the Middle East. Extended journeysBoth higher education minister James Lawless and OPW junior minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran will travel to Australia for St Patrick’s Day. Mr Lawless, meanwhile, was expected to travel through Dubai but is now expected to travel through France and Singapore. The Department of Foreign Affairs, however, did not answer queries about changes to St Patrick’s Day programmes for other ministers. Patrick's Day will come and go,” he said.

Source: Irish Examiner March 03, 2026 21:52 UTC