MIDDLE EAST: A Co Cork technology expert based in Beirut last night described scenes of destruction and fear as numbers of fellow Irish men and women gathered enough food and medical supplies to remain indoors over the coming days.
Gerard Moran from Doneraile, Co Cork, who is working on an EU-funded aid project to provide training to Palestinian refugees, described the "eerie silence" which had befallen the city as people waited on more night- time bombings.
Speaking from his apartment in Monsourieh on the southern side of Beirut, Mr Moran recalled a day of continuous bombing while Israeli jets continued to fly overhead.
"From my balcony I can see the Mediterranean coast and the Israeli warships . . . As I look out, residential areas I know so well are being bombed while the television pictures show the destruction on the streets I drive through every day," he said.
"It was very bad last night [ Thursday]. The whole apartment was shaking. All the Irish people here, including one two- year-old child, just piled into the one apartment."
Mr Moran estimated that hundreds of Irish people are living in Beirut, based on the attendance at a St Patrick's Day ball this year.
He said Irish residents married to people of Lebanese origin and others who work in construction, consultancy and finance were trapped in the city under siege.
"There is only one remaining route out, which is through the north, and we expect it to be knocked out tonight. This city has eight or 10 main highways. Its atmosphere and skyline is similar to Manhattan and it's a very cosmopolitan city.
"It's disgraceful what's happening and that ordinary civilians are being targeted," Mr Moran said. "These people have been bombed in the most indiscriminate way and the number of casualties may never be known."
While recognising that the honorary consulate in Beirut had been in contact with some Irish residents, Mr Moran was critical of the level of communication from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Irish embassies.
"Other nationalities have been getting calls from their embassies. Instead, I've been dialling numbers and getting no answer."
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said the honorary consulate in Beirut and the Irish embassy in Cairo, which is accredited to Lebanon, had drawn up a contact list of some 40 Irish citizens who had registered with them. The list also contains the names of Irish citizens added following contact from their families in Ireland.
While there are no immediate plans for an evacuation of Irish citizens, the department has indicated it will co-ordinate its efforts with the French, British and Greek governments should an evacuation plan be required.
Anyone seeking to add a friend or relative's name to the department's list of persons in Beirut is advised to contact the department on 01-408 2000.