Trump arrives in Ireland for two-day visit

US President Donald Trump has touched down in Dublin for a two-day visit to Ireland. He was greeted at Dublin Airport by Ireland’s deputy premier Simon Harris and is expected to meet the country’s leaders on Saturday before attending a golf tournament this weekend. The trip is a departure from his recent focus on the Iran war and his party’s effort to maintain power in November’s midterm elections. Shorts But it is not expected to be without controversy, as anti-war and anti-Trump protests are planned in Dublin and in western Ireland near the Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said peaceful protest would be facilitated as much as possible but there would be “no tolerance” for public disorder or attempts to impact “critical movements” of the US president. He said: “We have robust policing plans in place and will arrest and prosecute those committing offences.” Water cannon have been placed “on standby” but Mr Kelly said he hoped they would not be needed. Trump is set to meet President Catherine Connolly, a long-standing critic of the US president, at her official residence Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, before a nearby engagement with Irish premier Micheál Martin, the Taoiseach, at the Farmleigh Estate. The President’s meetings with Ireland’s president and prime minister are not part of an official state visit. US President Donald Trump stands on the tarmac as he arrives at Dublin Airport for a two-day visit to Dublin and Doonbeg in Ireland (Photo: Kylie Cooper/Reuters) However, in the wake of this week’s Republican convention and the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, they could include politically sensitive topics such as economic issues and Irish leaders’concerns over the Iran war. Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said he is looking forward to meeting the President and “discussing the many issues of mutual interest and reaffirming the strong economic, cultural and people-to-people ties between Ireland and the United States”. He added: “His visit comes during a remarkable sporting summer for Ireland and the United States and this weekend’s Irish Open at Trump International Doonbeg will be a fitting conclusion to an outstanding season of sport, and I hope we will see an Irish winner lifting the trophy on Sunday.” Donald Trump salutes as he is greeted at Dublin Airport after disembarking Air Force One in Ireland (Photo: Kylie Cooper/Reuters) Former Irish premiers Bertie Ahern and Enda Kenny were among hundreds of guests arriving at the residence of the US ambassador to Ireland, Edward Walsh, ahead of Mr Trump’s arrival. Prominent business leaders, including Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary, and entertainer Michael Flatley, were also among those understood to be attending. The President’s arrival was greeted by a military band (Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty) The President will give a speech in a marquee set up in the grounds of the historic property at Deerfield in Phoenix Park, which has been decked out with American flags. Sound checks have included the playing of some of Trump’s favourite songs, including the Village People’s YMCA, and his traditional walk-out song God Bless The USA by Lee Greenwood. The US President is making his 48-hour foreign trip as his Republican Party campaigns to keep its majorities in both chambers of the US Congress. The Iran conflict has heightened economic concerns among American voters by raising gas pricesnationwide. (This is a breaking story which is being updated)