Trump meets Irish leaders as Dublin visit mixes diplomacy and Doonbeg golf

Donald Trump met Ireland's president and prime minister in Dublin before heading to his Doonbeg golf resort. The visit has spotlighted tensions between diplomacy, business interests and protests over his policies.US President Donald Trump held talks in Dublin on Saturday with Irish President Catherine Connolly and Prime Minister Michel Martin during a weekend visit that also includes attending the Irish Open at his golf club in Doonbeg on Ireland's Atlantic coast. He is also due to address US and Irish business leaders at the US ambassador's official residence in Dublin.The visit has drawn political attention because it combines official meetings with a trip centred on a tournament at a property he owns. It has also prompted criticism and planned protests in Dublin, even as Irish leaders seek to use the visit to maintain ties with the United States despite differences over trade and foreign policy.Connolly, a left-wing politician who protested against Trump's 2019 visit to Ireland during his first term, is now the country's elected and largely ceremonial head of state. A supporter of the Palestinian cause, she has criticised US policy in the Middle East in the past and called Trump a "bully".Connolly received Trump at the end of a red carpet at her official residence, Aras an Uachtarain, in Phoenix Park. The two shook hands and spoke briefly before going inside. Trump came out alone a few minutes later, saluted as an Irish Defence Forces band played the US national anthem, and inspected an Irish Army honour guard. Connolly then joined him outside to introduce the US and Irish delegations before the leaders returned indoors for closed-door talks. Trump is also scheduled to meet Martin at the government's Farmleigh state guesthouse and stop at Deerfield, the US ambassador's residence, before travelling to Doonbeg to watch the Irish Open. Martin had invited Trump to visit Ireland when they met at the White House on St Patrick's Day this year. Before Trump arrived, Martin said he looked forward to discussing issues of "mutual interest" and "reaffirming the strong economic, cultural and people-to-people ties between Ireland and the United States." He also said he hoped to see an Irish winner lifting the trophy on Sunday. Ireland's Shane Lowry was leading the tournament at the halfway stage.Police cordoned off Phoenix Park during the visit, and some Dublin residents voiced annoyance over the disruption. Taxi driver Christopher Fox said, "He's causing mayhem in this city because he wants to go down to Doonbeg and play golf. The world's in turmoil and this fella's down playing golf." University student Mina Petrovski said Trump's "attitudes towards women, towards immigrants, towards minority communities in general are abhorrent" and added that it was "shameful that the Irish government is welcoming him with open arms." A group of left-leaning opposition parties, anti-military groups, pro-Palestinian organisations, environmentalists and others also planned a demonstration against Trump in Dublin on Saturday. Eric Trump, speaking to Irish broadcaster RTE on Friday in Doonbeg, defended the family's presence in Ireland and said they were well regarded despite the planned protests. He said the Trump International golf resort was the biggest employer in the area and added, "Go down to Morrissey's tavern in Doonbeg and hear from a real Irish person as to whether or not they like President Trump and the Trump family, go have them attest to what we've done for the country and what we've invested in the country and the love and respect that our family has always shown them."Trump flew overnight to Ireland after observing the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. In the two nights before Friday's observance, the Republican president had delivered lengthy speeches at a political rally in Dallas.Trump plays golf on most weekends at clubs he owns in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia, and his appearance at the Irish Open continues a pattern of attending high-profile sporting events, including some linked to his family business. His clubs in Doral, Florida, and Bedminster, New Jersey, have each hosted professional golf tournaments this year. The Irish Open is the second European Tour event to be held at a Trump property this year after last month's Nexo Championship at his course in Aberdeen, Scotland. Last year, Trump spent five days in Scotland playing golf at his Turnberry club and later opened a new Trump course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, during a trip that also included talks with the British prime minister and the president of the European Commission.Trump's Dublin visit, therefore, brings together official talks with Ireland's top leaders, planned discussions on trade and bilateral ties, and a weekend trip to his Doonbeg golf resort, even as protests and criticism accompany his stay.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 12, 2026 15:04 IST