Main points
- Donald Trump met President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin this morning
- Thousands protested across Dublin and Clare at Trump’s arrival today
- US president then attended a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Farmleigh House
- Trump landed in Doonbeg this afternoon before watching the Irish Open on Sunday
- He was greeted by Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee at Dublin Airport on Saturday morning
- Simon Harris highlights ‘bilateral relationship’ between US and Ireland
Best reads
- ‘He’s keeping our village alive’: Doonbeg residents prepare to host Donald Trump
- ‘No tolerance’ for public disorder during Trump visit – Garda Commissioner
- Donald Trump expected to urge Ireland to buy liquefied natural gas from US during visit
- Shane Lowry surges ahead as Doonbeg security teams swarm for Donald Trump’s arrival
That is all for today on our live coverage of Trump’s visit to Dublin and Doonbeg.
Follow along tomorrow for more rolling coverage.
Good evening.
Golf momentarily takes backseat in Doonbeg as Trump touches down at Irish Open
Rory McIlroy had a 1.08pm start for his third round at the Irish Open and one of the marshals assigned to follow his round arrived with a minute to spare, panting for breath, writes Gavin Cooney.
He had been held up en route by a mass motorcade of around 30 vehicles; an obsidian black chain of armoured Cadillacs, Mercedes’ saloons, ambulances and, incongruously, a bus bearing the name of Spain’s Coach Hire.
The convoy did not include the US president - it was merely a rehearsal event for the delivery of Donald Trump to the front door of his hotel. Further down the course, one fan was so rapt by the convoy that she didn’t hear golfer Joe Dean yell fore from the third teebox. His ball thwacked her on the back.
Trump stepped off the stage at the US ambassador’s residence about 40 minutes before the announcer at Doonbeg welcomed McIlroy to the first tee.
That whole speech distilled the extent to which the world is being governed as if it’s a country club.
First, the Irish ambassador praised Trump as an “amazing golfer”, then calling him an “amazing man” and repeated one of Trump’s favoured fantasies in heralding him as a winner of 41 club championships.
Read the full article here.
Trump’s comments show how ‘conversation about a unified island is advancing at home and abroad’
In a post on X, Tánaiste Simon Harris wrote, “the comments by the US president today on the future of the island of Ireland show how much the conversation about a unified island is advancing at home and abroad.
“It shows the importance of political parties engaging in a constructive, informed & evidence based way.”
He also added, “as you know I made it clear that Fine Gael would produce a blueprint for a unified island.
“That work is progressing well and we will produce our output and next steps at our Ard Fheis in November.”
Well-known poet among protesters in Doonbeg
Well-known poet Sarah Clancy was among protesters that assembled in the village of Doonbeg near US president Donald Trump’s Co. Clare golf resort, reports Political correspondent Cormac McQuinn.
While Trump spent much of the afternoon watching The Irish Open tournament there were around 40 protesters present at any one time in the nearby village with another 200 or so at Shannon Airport.
Clancy was a supporter of Ireland’s own first citizen Catherine Connolly during last year’s presidential election and featured during one of the independent candidate’s campaign rallies where she read out one of her poems.
Meeting Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin was Trump’s first port of call after he arrived in Dublin on Saturday morning.
She released a statement afterwards saying she conveyed to Trump “the strong view of the Irish people that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted.”
So how does Clancy think Connolly did during her meeting with Trump earlier in the day?
“I’m kind of sorry for her that she had to meet him at at all,” she said but added that Connolly “was very clear to all of us during the campaign that Catherine does things by the letter of the law.
She’s a barrister and she would have examined exactly what the role of the president was so she was quite clear that she would do what was required as president.
“And so it is required to meet the president of another country when they come.”
Asked about Connolly’s statement on her meeting with Trump, Clancy said: “Those would be exactly the things that we need her to say. It takes a much better leader to build peace than it does to build war.”
Clancy took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to bring aid to Gaza last year before they were detained by Israeli authorities.
On her reason for protesting in Doonbeg she said she is a community worker in Clare “so I just didn’t want to leave it that the person who is funding and arming and fomenting all of this warfare would come unremarked”.
Clancy said demonstration is “not a protest about the people of Doonbeg” adding: “It’s very strong in my mind that we have seen village after village in Gaza, villages just like this wiped out, people murdered or forced to move over and over again, villages just the size of Doonbeg”.
She said that war “could have been stopped at any single point during that war if Donald Trump acted to say he was withdrawing funding or arms for Israel.”
Clancy argued: “the people in Ireland do not want this visit from Trump. We don’t like him, we don’t want him here”.
People Before Profit TD says Taoiseach ‘failed to utter a single word of condemnation or even concern about US actions’
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said Taoiseach Micheál Martin “engaged in a demeaning performance in front of the nation and the world” while speaking with Donald Trump at Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park.
“Trump has armed and continues to arm Israel’s genocide to the teeth, but when asked about Gaza the Taoiseach’s response was an abject failure to challenge Trump.
“The Taoiseach failed to utter a single word of condemnation or even concern about US actions.
“Instead, the Taoiseach spoke in support of Trump’s so called 20-point peace plan for Gaza that is to be implemented by a board with Trump as president and including the likes of Tony Blair, Jared Kushner and Marco Rubio.
“These are self-appointed colonial viceroys, appointed without anything resembling a democratic process and without any consultation with the people of Gaza.
“It’s obvious they intend to carve up Gaza to serve Israel’s interests and enrich themselves and their cronies. Shame on the Taoiseach for failing to challenge Trump and for endorsing this modern colonialism,” he said.
‘Not as orange as he looks’: NI parties weigh Donald Trump’s united Ireland comments
It was, as one senior SDLP figure put it, “quite a moment, to have the American president saying that,” wrote Northern editor Freya McClements.
The “that” in question was Donald Trump’s endorsement of Irish unity, delivered when answering questions from the media after his arrival in Ireland on Saturday.
“I’d love to see it unified”, Trump said; it would be “a fantastic thing ... a great thing” and even “a very cool thing.”
At the SDLP conference, taking place in a south Belfast hotel as Trump was speaking in Dublin, they were already talking unity.
Read the full article here.
Varadkar welcomes Trump’s ‘endorsement of a united Ireland’
In a post on X, former taoiseach Leo Varadkar said “president Trump’s endorsement of a united Ireland is welcome.
“The Good Friday Agreement states that this is a decision for us on the island of Ireland to make on our own - north and south.
“That does not mean that outside opinions and advice cannot be offered. Going back to independence and before, America has always had a special role to play in our national story,” he wrote.
Trump applauds the action in Doonbeg
On day three of the Irish Open, Trump can be seen applauding the action as he looks across the 18th green as well as waving to spectators.
He arrived at Shannon Airport before making his way to Doonbeg following earlier meetings in the Phoenix Park in Dublin with President Catherine Connolly, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and US ambassador Edward Walsh.
Among the crowds lined out to watch professional golfers, such as Rory McIlroy play at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, a US flag can be seen featuring a portrait of Trump.
Analysis: Ireland keeps good relations and Trump talks golf as both sides get what they want from visit
The Taoiseach’s senior officials need to possess a variety of skills and abilities, writes Political editor Pat Leahy.
Among them is the ability to show a poker face in meetings with foreign leaders. Never was that ability more tested than today, when Donald Trump threw in his tuppence worth about the desirability of a united Ireland.
Trump’s comments are likely to cause at least temporary consternation in the Irish and British governments, and a longer-term unease among unionists.
His remark that Micheál Martin was “the right man over here to get it moving” are also likely to be deeply unwelcome on the part of the Taoiseach, who has faced criticism from the pro-unity lobby – and from some quarters within his own party – for not being more enthusiastic about the prospect.
Read the full article here.
The Phoenix Park re-opened ahead of 6pm
Gardaí said, in a post on X, the Phoenix Park re-opened after 4pm.
The Phoenix Park was closed to the public to accommodate president Trump’s visits to Áras an Uachtaráin to meet with President Catherine Connolly, Farmleigh House to meet with Taoiseah Micheál Martin and Deerfield, the US ambassador’s residence in the park.
All gates, including pedestrian gates, were closed during this period.
They were due to re-open at 6pm this evening.
The Office of Public Works said the closure was in place for “operational reasons” following a request from An Garda Síochána.
Beauty queens, corporate titans and Michael Flatley gather for Trump’s meandering address
Is it ever too early in the morning to listen to YMCA? Apparently not, writes Political correspondent Jack Horgan-Jones.
By the dawn’s early light at Deerfield, the US ambassador’s residence in the Phoenix Park, the Village People’s signature tune belted out as they tested the PA system inside the large marquee set up to receive guests, and eventually, US president Donald Trump. It was half past six in the morning.
Air Force One was inbound across the Atlantic as the invited guests began to troop in, bleary-eyed and flocking towards the embassy’s coffee and pastry table.
The lawn at Deerfield was soon crowded with the great and good - plenty of past and present TDs and Senators (Fine Gael had a particularly good attendance), as well as high flyers from the corporate world, with Amazon, Meta, Google, Stripe and many more represented.
Read the full article here.
Nigel Farage says people of Northern Ireland do not want unification
In a post on X, the Reform UK leader said “Northern Ireland is a proud and integral part of the United Kingdom.
“The people of Northern ireland neither want a referendum, nor unification.”
He added that he disagreed with Trump.
The Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the US president of “shooting from the hip” and describing his remarks as “deeply unhelpful,” in a post on X.
She said, “president Trump is shooting from the hip as usual, just like he did with Greenland and Canada becoming the 51st state.
“This sort of loose talk about the future of democratic countries is deeply unhelpful and creates unnecessary tension.
“Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. At a time when separatists are in power in Scotland, Wales and NI, we need a Government that will defend the union clearly and confidently.”
Trump watches over the 18th green at Doonbeg Golf Course
Trump has been photographed watching over the eighteenth green during the third round of the Irish Open taking place at Doonbeg Golf Course.
The US president and his son Eric spoke with American golfer Brooks Koepka.
Following his earlier engagements with President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin, he has since removed his tie and instead is wearing a white cap with “USA” written on it in gold letters.
Trump will stay overnight at Doonbeg and present the Irish Open trophy before returning to the US tomorrow.
Trump’s trip to Ireland described as ‘circus’, by Labour’s Ciaran Ahern
The Government’s facilitation of Donald Trump is “brown envelopes on a global scale,” Labour TD Ciaran Ahern has told the Dublin protest, reports Climate and Science correspondent Caroline O’Doherty.
He said the Trump visit to Doonbeg was officially welcomed to allow the US president make more money so that be might be kinder to Ireland in trade talks.
The trip was a “circus” and the Government were “sycophants” for supporting it.
“We believe in politics of hope, not hate, and we are disgusted to see the red carpet rolled out by the Government for this fascist,” he said.
Taoiseach pleased to welcome Trump to Ireland
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “very pleased to welcome” president Trump to Ireland, “particularly for the Irish Open”.
“With college football recently and the Ryder Cup next year, the sporting ties between our two countries continue to grow,” he said in a post on X.
The view from above Doonbeg
Deputy chief of staff at The White House, Dan Scavino has shared this video on X, showing the view onboard the Air Force One, flying over Doonbeg.
Protest ongoing at Shannon Airport
While Trump has arrived at Doonbeg, a protest is ongoing at Shannon Airport.
Protester Jean Moran described herself as “anti-Trump, anti-everything that he stands for.”
“He’s a total tyrant, he’s like a dictator, he’s ruining democracy, he’s ruining the world and he’s funding genocide.
“He’s everything that I hate in the world at the minute.”
Johnny White described Trump as an “enabler of genocide” and called him a “fascist.”
“I just think we shouldn’t be as friendly and as welcoming to him. We’re only welcoming him for financial reasons.”
“I’m here in solidarity with the world today because it might be great for the parish but it’s not great for the world,” said Laura Mulcahy.
Marine One has landed at Doonbeg Golf Resort.
Shortly afterwards a motorcade - with President Trump presumably in one of the ‘Beast’ armoured cars - headed towards the hotel, reports Political Correspondent Cormac McQuinn.
Trump has landed at Doonbeg Golf Club
The Marine One helicopter carrying US president Donald Trump has landed at Doonbeg Golf Club.
At Shannon Airport, Trump disembarked Air Force One, shook hands with ministers and waved to the cameras before hopping aboard Marine One, the presidential helicopter, for the journey to Doonbeg.
Gardaí await the arrival of US president Donald Trump at his golf resort in Doonbeg on day three of the Irish Open.
US flag burnt at Dublin city protest
Firecrackers have been set off and a large US flag burnt by a group taking part in the Dublin protest, reports Climate and Science correspondent, Caroline O’Doherty.
While the main part of the crowd filled Molesworth Street and listened to songs of peace and protest from a platform erected outside the Dáil, a group called Anti-Imperialist Action staged their own action.
Dressed all in black and wearing masks and dark glasses, they unfurled the US flag and set it on fire before launching firecrackers into the air.
They chanted mainly against US troops in Shannon but also shouted repeatedly, “tiocfaidh ár lá”.
One of the group said they hid their identities “for security” and to avoid recognition by “Gardai and the far right”.
US ‘must stop facilitating the genocide of Palestinian people,’ says Sinn Féin leader
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said, “at this time of very significant global challenge, Ireland seeks to promote our values of peace, neutrality, disarmament, upholding international rule of law and strengthening the pursuit of justice and the protection of human rights.
“The Irish peace process and the role of the United States in this are an example of successful diplomacy and foreign policy where the US has been a critical partner over three decades.
“We want to see president Trump apply the same approach to Palestine and promote a global agenda for peace.
“This means that the United States must stop arming Israel. The United States must stop facilitating the genocide of Palestinian people. Israel must no longer be allowed to act with impunity.
“We are absolutely prepared to offer our continued support and solidarity and to lend all our experience to this end.”
She also acknowledged Trump’s comments on the reunification of Ireland.
“The conversation on Irish unity has shifted and the onus is on the Taoiseach to begin planning.
“We have secured peace and as we approach the thirtieth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement our national journey is now reunification, which is organised, planned and a peaceful transition,” said McDonald.
Irish Open spectators turn attentions to Trump
Reporting from Doonbeg, Political Correspondent Cormac McQuinn, said some spectators at the Irish Open have turned their attention from the sporting acton to the the helipad with president Trump expected shortly.
Trump ‘very aware’ of the importance of peace in Northern Ireland, says a spokesperson for Taoiseach
A spokesperson for Taoiseach Micheál Martin said, president Trump’s comments on a United Ireland should come as a surprise to no one, reports Political Editor Pat Leahy.
Over the years the president has been consistent in his view that he sees unity in Ireland as the optimal outcome.
On the last two years in the White House he expressed this to the Taoiseach, and on Capitol Hill this year.
The Taoiseach told the president that he leads a party that supports Irish unity.
He also outlined the work of the Shared Island initiative and the importance of creating stronger communities and shared experiences on the island.
The Taoiseach highlighted Ireland’s significant experience in conflict resolution as a result of the peace process, and that this experience could be brought to bear in the Middle East or other conflict areas.
President Trump was very aware of how violent the conflict in Northern Ireland was, and of the importance of peace, said the spokesperson.
The Taoiseach paid tribute to successive US governments for their role in the peace process and in helping bring about the Good Friday Agreement.
The Taoiseach outlined the three sets of relationships that underpin the Good Friday Agreement; The British-Irish relationship, The North-South relationship and the relationship between the two traditions in the North.
He stressed that both the British and Irish governments working in tandem together was a key factor in bringing peace about.
Dublin protest swells from O’Connell Street to Dawson Street
Back in Dublin, Climate and Science correspondent Caroline O’Doherty has the latest from the protest which has now swelled to many hundreds of people stretching from O’Connell Street to Dawson Street.
It’s lively and loud but peaceful and an anticipated counter protest at the GPO did not materialise, she reports.
The marchers are chanting in support of Palestine and with demands for Trump to be jailed.
In recognition that Trump brushed off mention of protests earlier, saying he hadn’t seen any, marchers are seeking the ear of Government, chanting: “Micheál Martin, can you hear, we don’t want warmongers here.”
Irish Times photographer Bryan O’Brien captured Trump’s Air Force One flying in over Shannon before landing.
Trump’s Dublin departure was captured by the DAA with the authority only delighted to hand over responsibility to the folk down in Shannon.
Back to Clare for now where we are still waiting for Trump to land in Shannon but something quite dramatic has just happened.
Government urged to use ‘momentum’ of unity comments
The Taoiseach Micheal Martin and the Government should capitalise on President Donald Trump’s wish for an eventual united Ireland by using the comment to pressurise the British government to be explicit about the criteria for when a Border poll can be held, Aontu leader Peadar Toibin has urged.
Gerry Moriarty is at the party’s think-in in Derry and reports that Tobin said he understands “that Trump makes comments off the cuff on a regular basis but first of all most of the progress we have made as a country in terms of independence has been with the help of Irish-America.”
He said he was in no doubt that the comments “are aimed at Irish-America as well with eight weeks to the mid-terms. But it is significant that we have an American president making this intervention now and I think that if I was in the Irish government I would use a little of the momentum created by this statement to try to engage with the British in terms, at the very least, of crystallising what exactly is the threshold for a referendum to be called.”
Under the 1998 Belfast Agreement it is for a British Northern Secretary to determine when and if a Border poll should be called although it is not exactly clear what specifically are the criteria for calling such a plebiscite. Last month Andy Burnham on his first visit to Northern Ireland upset nationalists by saying a Border poll was “off the table”.
Toibin said the “major disingenuous element” of the British approach to the issue was “keeping that threshold opaque”.
He said the government in the wake of Trump’s remarks should pursue this issue with the British Labour government because if Kemi Badenoch or Nigel Farage ended up as British prime minister it was unlikely such clarity would be provided.
“The British are reneging on their responsibilities to an international treaty not to crystallise what that threshold is. We should be using Trump’s response as a platform to push harder in relation to that,” “added Toibin.
‘Donald Trump, can you hear? We don’t want you here’
People are continuing to gather in Dublin for a protest against the visit of Donald Trump. More than 1,000 people have gathered at the Garden of Remembrance and are marching down O’Connell St in the direction of the Dail.
The crowd is stretching from the Garden of Remembrance to the GP0.
According to the news wires this was one of the key chants. “Donald Trump, can you hear? We don’t want you here.” I can’t help but think they might have workshopped that a bit more. Rhyming hear with here is pretty poor, whatever about the actual sentiment. It is awful You just can’t rhyme hear with here.
Caroline O’Doherty has just been on to say the chant has been changed to: “Say it loud, say it clear. Donald Trump’s not welcome here.”
It certainly scans better.
‘I suspect they’re burning those Trump flags as we speak’
President Donald Trump’s comments in support of a united Ireland have reached the SDLP conference in Belfast.
Northern Editor Freya McClements reports that in her speech to the conference, SDLP leader Claire Hanna acknowledged the US President’s presence on the island and reassured delegates “don’t worry, we’ve checked. He’s not coming here. It’s his turn to boycott us.
“Donald Trump, in the last hour, has announced that he is in favour of united Ireland,” she said. “Turns out he’s not as orange as he looks,” she said, in an allusion to the Orange Order, to laughter from those listening.
“I’m not sure if anybody’s checked on the DUP,” she said. “I suspect they’re burning those Trump flags as we speak.”
Trump’s comments underlined “as clearly as anything that change is happening, whether some parties here want to acknowledge it or not,” she said, in a reference to Northern Ireland’s unionist parties.
In a speech in which she emphasised her party’s commitment to Irish unity, Hanna said it was “becoming clearer by the day that the future of this island is changing” and “more and more people are talking about our constitutional future.
“Don’t just take it from me, take it from the leader of the free world,” she said.
‘What’s coming behind him is worse’
Several hundred people have gathered at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin for a protest against the visit of Donald Trump.
Groups represented include the Irish Anti-War Movement, Ireland Palestine Solidarity Committee, Militant Left, the Green Party and Palestine Action but many non-affiliated protestors have also gathered, writes Caroline O’Doherty.
Claire Doherty from Dublin said she came to join in because: “There’s no point sitting at home giving out.”
She said she was not just protesting against Trump but at his “enablers”.
“What’s coming behind him is worse,” she, fearing that future Republican administrations may accelerate Trump policies.
The protestors are due to march through Dublin city centre to the Dáil.
Connolly says she told Trump the ‘normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted’
The president Catherine Connolly has issued a statement outlining what was said at her meeting with the US president.
“As President of Ireland, I am very conscious that Ireland and the United States of America are bound by strong ties. This is a deep connection, built over centuries, which allows us to speak openly to one another.
We are in a world facing the existential threat posed by war and climate change, both of which are inextricably interlinked.
I conveyed the strong view of the Irish people that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted.
As a country which has suffered famine, colonisation and the violence of the Troubles, but also the importance of the long and challenging road to peace, I emphasised the unique insight which Irish people can bring to the resolution of conflict.
I highlighted to President Trump the strong commitment which the Irish people have to international relations, to the importance of the United Nations, including the pride which Irish people feel in Ireland’s contribution to UN Peacekeeping since 1958, and to the obligations contained within Article 29 of our Constitution towards the peaceful resolution of international disputes."
I assured President Trump that the Irish people would strongly support all those who have the strength to build a shared peace in all those parts of the world currently suffering from such horrific war and violence.”
Few surprises in Trump speech aimed at domestic audience
During his speech in Deerfield House, Trump went through some of his greatest hits including the “rigged” 2020 presidential election, the failings of Joe Biden, immigration and how he has single handedly made America great again.
“We had a rigged election, as you know, because I won three times. I didn’t win twice. I won three times,” he said.
He also boasted about the power of the US army and its laser weapons. He mentioned lasers quite a few times.
He also told the gathering that the US would become the number one supplier of oil and natural gas in the world. .“We’re bigger than Saudi Arabia now,” he claimed. “Saudi Arabia and Russia combined,” he said.
On Venezuela he said the US had “won the war. We worked it very well with the people that are now running it and millions and millions of barrels of oil every single day.”
And he talked about migrants coming into the US in the most disparaging of terms.
‘We are not interested in the destruction of our country’
The unionist parties in Northern Ireland have strongly criticised President Trump’s comments in support of a united Ireland, writes Northern Editor Freya McClements.
The DUP leader, Gavin Robinson, said Northern Ireland’s constitutional future “will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland, not by commentary in London, Dublin or Washington.
“As unionists we are not interested in the destruction of our country by joining with the Irish Republic,” he said.
The deputy leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), Robbie Butler, said “Presidents are entitled to their views” but “they don’t get a vote in Northern Ireland” and accused those “now cheering him” of “cherry picking.
“One sentence about a united Ireland and he is apparently a statesman of rare vision,” he said, adding that under the Belfast Agreement the people of Northern Ireland were “the only people whose consent counts.”
The leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), Jim Allister, said Trump was “not the first US president to meddle in affairs which don’t concern him.
“You attend to your own affairs and we will attend to ours.
“Northern Ireland is not a pawn in Trump’s fall out with the UK. Our constitutional future does not depend on him or any other foreign dignitary,” he said.
Trump’s comments on unity criticised
President Donald Trump’s declaration that he “would love to see” a united Ireland and that he believes it will be established eventually has been criticised by Unionist politicians.
Mark Hennessy reports that Ulster Unionist Stormont minister, Robbie Butler said US presidents “are entitled to their views, but they don’t get a vote in Northern Ireland”, since this remains a matter for voters in Northern Ireland.
“I note the sudden conversion. For years we have been told this President is beyond the pale: his character, his conduct, his position on Gaza. Some of those now cheering him boycotted the White House over it.
Mocking the support by pro-unity individuals on social media, Butler said: “One sentence about a united Ireland and he is apparently a statesman of rare vision. It seems his judgement is sound only on the one subject where it happens to suit.
“The cherry picking is at least consistent. Principle is a funny thing when it changes according to whether you like the words being spoken,” said Butler, who serves as Stormont’s Minister for Health.
“The President was at least candid enough to accept that the United Kingdom would have something to say about it. So would the people of Northern Ireland, who under the Belfast Agreement are the only people whose consent counts.”
Former Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie said Trump “also wants the Gulf of Mexico called Gulf of America and Lake Ontario to Lake America, if Trump is anyone’s measurement on a United Ireland I’d say the Union is safe”.
However, Alliance Stormont MLA, Stewart Dickson mocked the previous efforts made by Unionists to curry favour with Trump during St. Patrick’s Day visits to the White House: “So, this is what Unionist get for sucking up to him.”
Burnham’s stance on Ireland unchanged
The British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s position on Irish unification remains unchanged, a spokesperson for his office said this morning.
Responding to questions from MPson Wednesday about a possible border poll in Northern Ireland, Burnham said: “I am not aware that there is majority public support for another referendum, and until that changes, there will not be one.”
A spokesperson for Burnham’s office said on Saturday the prime minister’s remarks still stood after Trump told reporters after a meeting with the Taioseach Micheal Martin in Dublin that unification would happen eventually and would be a “great” thing.
We will come back to the speech - which was clearly intended for his domestic audience, there won’t have been many in the audience who care too much about crime rates in Washington DC - in a bit but right now the motorcade is heading through the Phoenix Park towards the Infirmary Rd entrance after which he will go straight on to the M50 and then on to Dublin Airport. Once they he will fly to Doonbeg which is probably where he wants to be.
‘You are some of the most vicious bastards’ Trump says as he compliments Ireland
Trump has finished speaking and there is a lot to parse.
He finished with a bit about Ireland that probably has most relevance.
“This country is a fantastic it’s just a fantastic place. I love it. I have investments here but that’s not why I love it I like it because it’s special people you have unbelievable people in Ireland.”
He hailed the hospitality of Irish people
“You know they say you can’t generalise about groups of people, countries, but you can. People love coming to Ireland. You know why? Because they love you. They love the people.There’s a friendliness.
“There’s also a viciousness and a toughness. Let me tell you you are some of the most vicious bastards... but when you want to be nice there is nobody nicer.”
Earlier in the speech he said the Irish unity would be “a cool thing” which might have been his way of rowing back his comments earlier when he said it would be “a great thing”.
Donald Trump is speaking at the US ambassadors residence right now.
He has covered Kamala Harris’s failings, military successes and the stunning economic recovery he has been responsible.
He is also talking about oil and how much " there is oil popping up" all over Venezuela.
‘We don’t like him, we don’t want him here’
Protesters who have gathered in Doonbeg have accused US President Donald Trump of supporting genocide in Gaza and of “disrespect for women.
Cormac McQuinn reports that by mid-morning a group of fewer than 20 protesters had gathered in the Co Clare village near Trump’s golf resort where the Irish Open tournament is being held.
Trump is due to arrive at the golf course by helicopter from Shannon Airport later today.
Sarah Clancy took part in the Global Samud Floatilla aiming to bring aid to Gaza last year before they were detained by Israeli authorities.
She said she is a community worker in Clare “so I just didn’t want to leave it that the person who is funding and arming and fomenting all of this warfare would come unremarked”.
Clancy said demonstration is “not a protest about the people of Doonbeg” adding: “It’s very strong in my mind that we have seen village after village in Gaza, villages just like this wiped out, people murdered or forced to move over and over again, villages just the size of Doonbeg”.
She said that war “could have been stopped at any single point during that war if Donald Trump acted to say he was withdrawing funding or arms for Israel.”
Clancy argued: “the people in Ireland do not want this visit from Trump. We don’t like him, we don’t want him here”.
She added: “we really want no part of this. It’s vulgar and also he’s causing authoritarian toxicity all over the world at the momemnt. And so I’m delighted to be here even if it makes me a little bit unpopular where I live and work.”
Another protester Caolann O’Dwyer said: “I’m here because when I want to think about this in the future I want to know that I was on the right side of things.
“I don’t want Ireland to be a place that just accepts and welcomes someone with open arms who actively is supporting genocide”.
Grainne Carr, who was holding sign that read “Stop Killing Children” said “I’m here because I feel that Ireland shouldn’t be supporting people who are contributing to genocide in other countries. I’m here because I feel there’s far too much taxpayers’ money going to safeguard and provide security for a man who is supporting genocide, supporting child murder and I think it’s entirely wrong.”
Jessie Phillips, originally from the US, but living in Co Clare said she was protesting: “Because I just want my opinion out there about Trump. It’s not positive.
“I still have family over there obviously. We moved here, we’ve been living here for seven years.
“I still pay my taxes over there and I just don’t like anything he represents, the wars and what he’s done to the economy, his disrespect for women and I have two grown daughters over there and my grandchildren are growing up over there and it just makes me sick.
“So I just want to be able to say how I feel about him.”
A spokesman for Taoiseach Micheál Martin has been asked if Trump’s comments about a united Ireland would make any difference to Government policy. “No, our Good Friday Agreement and Programme for Government commitments remain,” was the somewhat terse response.
A deal with Canada ‘fairly soon’ says Trump
The US President Donald Trump also covered a range of other topics during his Farmleigh press conference and expressed optimism about resolving a trade war with Canada.
He told reporters that a deal could come “fairly soon”.
He was asked Saturday whether he intended to have the US leave the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement but womdered if right here right now was the best time to ask such a question.
He did say that Canada wanted to reach a deal with Washington and that he was seeking better terms for US farmers.
“Canada has to treat our farmers better, and they can’t charge our farmers tariffs. They’re charging our farmers 400 per cent tariffs and many other things, so when those things go away, they’re willing to get rid of it all. You’ll probably see a deal with Canada fairly soon.”
The third event of the morning is about to get underway at Deerfield House in the Phoenix Park
The Taoiseach has arrived and is exchanging pleasantries with Dermot Desmond and the Irish ambassador to the US, Geraldine Byrne Nason, reports Jack Horgan-Jones, who will be our man on the ground for the next part of the visit.
Trump was pressed on the nature of his conversation with Connolly and the questioning prompted the US Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley to step in briefly.
“The President had a very constructive conversation with President Connolly today about a whole range of issues including energy and European supplies of energy.”
Nessun Dorma was playing as the Beast pulled into Deerfield House, reports Jack Horgan-Jones. “We will be waiting another little while before Trump joins the reception - word is he is having a round-table inside with some VVVIPs from the business world beforehand.”
Trump is now on the way to Deerfield House where he is to deliver a speech to hundreds of politicians and business people and other invited guests.
We will have more on that extraordinary press conference presently.
War in Iran nearly over, Trump claims and says he would ‘love to see’ a united Ireland
Trump and Martin have just finished their press conference and it was longer than expected. And it was certainly freewheeling.
Trump said the conflict in Gaza was not the main thing on the agenda any more after he had “put out the fires”. He also suggested Iran was two weeks away from having a nuclear weapon when the war started in February and he said he would “love to see” a united Ireland and suggested it would “happen eventually”.
The Taoiseach started by referencing 9/11 and said Ireland was “thinking of all Americans”. He highlighted the “deep impact” the terror attacks had in Ireland.
He said he was “particularly pleased” that Trump made it over for the Irish Open.
Referencing the economic relationship between the two countries he said Trump would “meet hundreds of Irish business people who have investments in America, who are employing American people”.
He acknowledged the numbers of people employed by American companies here but stressed that “they get access to the European market from their bases here and the Asian market and they do particularly well, so it’s a very strong, old relationship”.
Trump said the Irish Open was “a very big event in Ireland and frankly all over the world” and he talked about the role he played in developing the golf course.
He said the war in Iran would be over soon and said Iran was “trying to hold out as long as they can to complicate the election but I think people are wise to it because Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple, this is a very simple thing Iran cannot have.”
He claimed Iran was “two weeks away from having a nuclear weapon [and] if they had it they would have blown up Israel, they would have blown up the Middle East.”
He said they would have targeted Europe too.
When asked how he responded to suggestions that the US was facilitating genocide in Gaza and also facilitating Israel around the illegal occupation of territories in the West Bank he said “we put out the fire and we got all the hostages back. There’s very little happening right now in Gaza. That’s not the place that people are talking about actually.”
He was also asked about protests in Ireland today and said “I didn’t know there was a [protest] . It can’t be a very big one because we’ve been all over Ireland today already, it’s early in the morning… but I haven’t seen any protest, It’s a friendly protest.”
He said he had “a very nice meeting” with Catherine Connolly. “We had very respectful meeting.”
And then there was Northern Ireland. “I always find it to be a very interesting and we had a very interesting discussion”.
He was asked for his view on Irish unity.
“I’d love to see it unified. It is going to happen eventually. You have the right man over here to get it moving,” he said, gesturing to Martin “I think it would be a fantastic thing, I think the UK would have something to say about it but I think it would be a great thing. How could it be bad?”
He also suggested that a united Ireland would be “a feather in everyone’s cap”.
Trump has now arrived at Farmleigh and a bugler from the Irish Defence Forces school of music is standing by to greet him.
He shook hands with the Taoiseach Micheál Martin (and it has to be said it was a good long handshake, close to 10 seconds by our reckoning).
The Taoiseach and his wife Mary have now gone into Farmleigh House with Trump who has been followed by his entourage.
‘Everything will work out fine’ - Trump
Trump has now left Áras an Uachtaráin and he is heading to Farmleigh. If our knowledge of the geography of the park is anything to go by, he should be there in less than three minutes.
The US president stopped briefly for questions before entering the Beast.
When asked about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, he replied: “Everything will work out fine.”
Trump deflected when asked about Irish consumers paying high prices for home heating oil, replying: “If they open the North Sea it will help, but they haven’t done that.”
He did not respond when asked how his meeting with President Connolly went.
The meeting between Connolly and Trump seems to be running longer than expected. The Beast is ready to go with the engine running but no sign of Trump, James Cox reports.
Presidential courtesy call ongoing as the Taoiseach waits nearby
So, the courtesy call between the two presidents is ongoing and a few hundred metres away at Farmleigh House the Taoiseach Micheál Martin is standing by. That meeting is likely to be short enough and after that Trump heads across the road to the US ambassador’s residence where he will deliver a speech. Apparently we are running 10 minutes behind schedule as of now. But, and I can’t stress this enough, Trump has not started speaking publicly yet. His speeches are known to go on a bit so that could throw the schedule off by a bit. We will wait and see.
Members of Trump’s family have arrived as have the Secret Service. And just now the US president has pulled up and the meeting is getting underway.
It didn’t take long.
The US president arrived and briefly shook hands with our president and then they disappeared from view.
It all seemed pretty friendly. The rest of the entourage - including Don Jr and his family - are right now standing outside the Áras. Thank heavens it’s not lashing.
Time for the national anthems now, staring with the American one. You might be interested to read that Natalie Harp is on the red carpet alongside the Trump family.
Amhrán na bhFiann has just been played and at a fair old clip it must be said. We’ll have a clip of that presently.
Just by way of a quick update, Trump’s motorcade has arrived at Áras an Uachtaráin. He made it from Dublin Airport to the park in less than 20 minutes, surely some class of record?
Harris highlights ‘bilateral relationship’ between US and Ireland
Simon Harris has been speaking out at Dublin Airport. He said he was “pleased to be here on behalf of the Irish government to welcome the president of the United states and also some of his family”.
He said he had talked briefly to Trump”at the foot of Air Force One [and] we had an opportunity to recall previous conversations we had. Indeed I had phoned President Trump on his election as president of the United states.
“He’s very much looking forward to getting to Doonbeg. He’s a man who obviously loves golf and he’s very proud of his Doonbeg golf course and is looking forward to getting down there.
Harris said he was “also conscious of my conversation with the president and indeed his daughter in law that this the president’s grandchildren’s first time in Ireland and I know there’s great personal excitement in relation to that.”
He said that “alongside the politics, alongside some of that pageantry of a US President arriving in Ireland there’s also the a reminder of those deep interpersonal links between our two countries.
He added that as “finance minister I’m very conscious of the economic benefit of the relationship. Hundreds of thousands of people in this country are employed in US firms [and] people in every single state in the United states are employed in Irish owned firms and that two way bilateral relationship matters [and] transcends any individual office holder.”
Trump heads to the Áras
So what is going to happen next? Well Trump will be in the Phoenix Park shortly and will be greeted outside Áras an Uachtaráin by the president Catherine Connolly.
There will be a few moments for video and pics after which the two presidents will go inside for a brief conversation - that is expected to last no more than 10 minutes.
Interestingly, there will be no video record of that meeting and we will have to wait for around 90 minutes for a statement to be issued outlining what was said.
A crowd gathered from the early hours at a nearby viewpoint to get a glimpse of Air Force One’s landing, reports Jack White.
Trump travelled to Ireland on the controversially gifted luxury $400 million Boeing 747-8 that was given by the Qatari royal family.
Before the new plane came into use in July, two Boeing 747s had been used since the 1990s to transport US presidents, one of which landed at Dublin Airport shortly before the new aircraft, with Trump saying they were “pretty old”.
The red, white and blue jet is serving as an interim Air Force One aircraft until new Boeings, which have faced long delays and are not expected to be delivered until after Trump’s term ends, are delivered for US presidential use.
The gifted jet was hastily retrofitted at a cost at a cost believed to be in the hundreds of millions.
Unveiling the retrofitted plane in June, he said it was “considered the world’s most luxurious plane. When it was built, it was built at a level that will probably never be seen again,” he said.
Trump’s arrival to Ireland onboard the jet marks the aircraft’s second international flight since Trump began using it on July 1st, after he travelled to a Nato summit in Turkey in July.
However, he did not depart Turkey on the aircraft due to intelligence received on a potential threat from Iran.
The new jet lacks the defensive countermeasures, such as advanced antimissile capabilities, that are typical of other Air Force One jets, the New York Times previously reported.
Trump recently told reporters the aircraft is going to be taken out of service for security upgrades.
Trump’s ‘brief swing-by’ is underway
The US media broadcasting from the Phoenix Park have just been heard describing the Trump visit to Dublin as a “brief swing-by” with the main focus being his golf tournament.
Trump has disembarked the plane and has been greeted by the Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee.
He was then given a quick Captain’s Escort of Honour from the Irish Defence Forces before hopping into the Beast ahead of a quick spin to the Áras.
Footage from the airport suggests that he is travelling via motorcade. He will travel down the M50. We can only hope it s not its usual carpark.
Just ahead of Trump making his first appearance on the steps of Airforce One, it might be worth recalling a previous visit he made to Ireland, way back in 2014 when he came to have a look at his new golf course in Clare. It was then, is now and always will be mortifying for all concerned.
Trump touches down in Dublin.
The US president Donald Trump’s plane has landed in Dublin Airport ahead of his two (ish) day visit to Ireland.
We have Jack White out in Dublin Airport and he is reporting that Air Force One is on its final approach now.
We have list of the confirmed delegations for the Áras an Uachtaráin reception from James Cox.
Irish Delegation: Orla O’Hanrahan, Secretary General to the President; Geraldine Byrne-Nason, Irish ambassador to the US, Beibhinn O’Connor, adviser to the President; George Burke, Deputy Secretary General; Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly; Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy, chief of staff, Defence Forces.
US Delegation: Edward Walsh, ambassador to the US; Lynn Walsh, wife of ambassador to the US; Richard Walters, assistant to the President and WH deputy chief of staff; Daniel Scavino, assistant to the President and WH deputy chief of staff; Donald Trump Jr; Bettina Anderson, Donald Trump Jr’s wife; Donald Trump III (17), grandson; Spencer Trump (13), grandson; Chloe Trump (12), granddaughter
The DAA - the authority that runs Dublin Airport - has just said the US president Donald Trump will be landing in the next couple of minutes.
How many sitting US presidents have visited Ireland?
Probably not as many as you think. While many people here like to talk up Ireland’s very special relationship with the US, only eight presidents have come here while they were resident in the White House.
The first, of course, was John F Kennedy who came to the auld sod in June 1963. He spent four triumphant days travelling the country visiting Dublin, Wexford – from whence his family came – Cork, Galway and Limerick. He also became the first US president to address the joint houses of the Oireachtas.
Richard Nixon came here on a State visit in 1970, stopping off in Dublin, Limerick and Timahoe. It was a decidedly less celebratory affair for many reasons.
Then, in 1984 it was the turn of another Republican, Ronald Reagon. He came in June 1984 and as well as Dublin visited Galway and Ballyporeen where his roots were said to rest. He also addressed the Oireachtas.
Bill Clinton - riding on the crest of the Peace Process wave - came on three separate occasions. He was here for the first time in December 1995 and then again in September 1998 and for the third and final time as president in 2000.
George W Bush was in Ireland twice while in the White House. He flew into Shannon and travelled to Dromoland Castle for an EU-US summit in June 2004 and then popped in in February 2006 to meet US troops in Shannon.
Barack Obama’s visit in May 2011 had much more of a celebratory feel to it. He visited Dublin and Moneygall, from whence his great-great-great-grandfather came.
Donald Trump was here once before - back in 2019. It was a flying visit then too and equally focused on golf. He stayed for one night only, again at Doonbeg.
And then there was Joe Biden. He came to Ireland in April 2023 and it had a homecoming feel akin to Kennedy’s visit 60 years earlier. He visited Dublin and Louth, addressed the Oireachtas. He also went to Mayo where he talked about the Saw Doctors and expressed his hope that Sam would one day be coming home.
As you might expect, there will be rolling road closures near Dublin Airport and Phoenix Park today as well as around Shannon Airport on Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening.
The airports will remain open throughout the visit but those travelling have been advised to allow extra time for their journeys.
Access to the areas of Doonbeg village, Trump’s hotel and the “wider west Clare environs will be restricted” for much of today and tomorrow.
Public disorder will not be tolerated - Garda
There will be “no tolerance” for public disorder or attempts to impair US president Donald Trump’s movements during his visit to Ireland the Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly has said, with water cannons deployed if necessary.
Speaking to the press yesterday he described the visit, which has been declared an “extraordinary event” by An Garda Síochána, as one of the biggest policing and security operations “in the history of the State”.
Kelly said it “goes without saying” there would be protests during Trump’s visit, adding that “most people” are expected to do so in a peaceful way.
“On the flipside of that, we have invested extensively over the last number of years, particularly since the Dublin riots, in equipment around public order,” he said.
“We will have water cannon on standby for this weekend,” he said. “We hope we don’t have to utilise that, but if we need to, that’s what we have it for.” Two water cannons were bought by the force in the wake of the 2023 Dublin riots.
Kelly said gardaí were doing “everything we can to minimise disruption to the public but during a visit such as this, it is inevitable. So I would ask for people’s patience this weekend, particularly in Dublin and Clare.”
Names of invited guests starts to emerge
We have a guestlist of sorts for the Deerfield House event.
It has been “gleaned from the names on the seats set up facing the rostrum,” reports Jack Horgan-Jones.
Alongside those who you would expect - like Micheál Martin and former Taoisigh Enda Kenny and Bertie Ahern - there will be Denis O’Brien and Dermot Desmond and Michael O’Leary and builder Sean Mulryan.
Other names on the backs of seats include Michael Flatley, former Tánaiste Simon Coveney, Irish ambassador to the US Geraldine Byrne Nason and former cabinet minister Mary Hanafin.
There are also seats for the Secretarys General of the Departments of Defence, of Transport, of Enterprise, Foreign Affairs and of Energy, and Lt General Rossa Mulcahy Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces
Eddie Hobbs has a seat, as does Niamh Uí Bhriain of Gript.ie and conservative activist Laoise de Brún.
There there are ambassadors from other countries and figures from companies including Meta, Amazon, Google, Ornua, Intercom, Glanbia, Stripe, Coca Cola, Amgen and Diageo.
I am writing this Live Story from just outside the Phoenix Park so I am in a position to offer a fairly reliable weather update. The grim and grey start to the morning has been replaced by blue skies over Dublin with Air Force One around 90 minutes from the city.
We have more from Jack Horgan-Jones in the Phoenix Park.
“We have our first TD. And it’s Cork East’s James O’Connor (Fianna Fáil), who is pressing the flesh already as the first bus of proper guests seems to have arrived.
“And he’s joined from Seanad Éireann by Gerard Craughwell. Well done James and Gerard.
“Update on the music: they are now test running the introduction of US ambassador Edward S. Walsh, and we can reveal his entrance music will be ‘God Bless the USA’ (Also known as “Proud to be an American”, the 1984 classic from Country & Western star Lee Greenwood).
“Nobody had to Google that.”
‘No Welcome for Trump’ protest for city centre
One of the advantages of confining Trump’s events in Dublin to the Phoenix Park is how easy - comparatively - it has been to shut it off to protestors. And it has been widely accepted and advertised that there will be protests today.
The entire park has been closed to the public since Thursday night and no-one is being allowed in either on foot or in cars.
That has seen the biggest of the Dublin protests scheduled for the city centre for lunchtime.
The Irish Neutrality League’s No Welcome for Trump protest will start at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin city at 1pm, with protesters set to march down O’Connell Street and towards the Dáil. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Irish Neutrality League convener Sara O’Rourke said the group hopes thousands of people will turn out.
Village People on in the park
Our man in the Park (one of them) is Jack Horgan-Jones and he was up before dawn’s early light to get the best of the seats at Deerfield House.
This is his first dispatch.
“You couldn’t quite call it a crowd yet at the US ambassador’s Phoenix Park residence, but there’s at least a growing gaggle of officials and journalists mustering before the reception for Donald Trump, who is expected here around 11am.
“We also spotted Eddie Hobbs at one point. There’s a stiff breeze testing the large marquee set up in the garden for guests, where a rostrum has been set up for himself to speechify from later. And as we write this, they are testing the sound system… and yes, that is the opening bars of YMCA reaching our ears.”
Of course it is.
The White House Press Pool is covering the visit from the American side and we have a breakdown of Trump’s time in Ireland (the capital letters are all theirs).
9:10 AM: THE PRESIDENT participates in an Arrival Ceremony
9:20 AM: THE PRESIDENT participates in a Courtesy Call with the President of Ireland Áras an Uachtaráin.
10:10 AM: THE PRESIDENT participates in a Bilateral Meeting with the Taoiseach of Ireland Farmleigh House
11:35 AM: THE PRESIDENT delivers Remarks to US Embassy Personnel and Business Leaders Deerfield Residence
(At this point the precise timings stop, presumably because no-one has a notion how long the aforementioned “remarks” will take.
THE PRESIDENT departs Dublin, Ireland en route Doonbeg, Ireland
THE PRESIDENT arrives Doonbeg, Ireland
THE PRESIDENT attends the 2026 Amgen Irish Open Doonbeg,
This weekend promises to be like no other with the US president Donald Trump arriving for a two-day visit to Ireland that – it is safe to say – is not universally popular.
One of the Air Force Ones – the new one, we are told - will be touching down in Dublin in couple of hours, with Trump set to be greeted by the Tánaiste Simon Harris at what promises to be a grey, damp and blustery Dublin Airport.
He will then be whisked away in a motorcade to the Phoenix Park before 9.30am where a busy (ish) morning awaits.
First he will meet the President Catherine Connolly, a fierce critic of Trump in the past and not just because he once mistakenly referred to her as a man.
After what might be a frosty enough courtesy call, he will make the short journey to Farmleigh House to meet the Taoiseach Micheál Martin, after which he will pop in to Deerfield House where the US ambassador Edward Walsh lives.
The marquee is already up there and crowds are gathering (but more of that anon).
From the Park he will travel to Shannon and then on to his golf course at Doonbeg, where he will stay overnight, before watching more golf on Sunday ahead of his return to Washington.
And that should be that. Nice and calm. No drama.
We will be with you all the way.
