President Donald Trump arrived in Ireland on Saturday for a two-day visit that mixes diplomacy, protests and golf at a course he owns in County Clare.
In Dublin, Trump met President Catherine Connolly and the Taoiseach at Aras an Uachtarain, the presidential residence in Phoenix Park. It was his first presidential visit to Ireland since Connolly was elected in October 2025. Speaking to reporters, Trump said the relationship between the two countries had never been as good as it is now, and said a united Ireland would be 'fantastic'.
Thousands protest in Dublin
A large, loud crowd gathered in Dublin city centre from the Garden of Remembrance, organised in part by the Irish Neutrality League and the Irish Anti-War Movement. Both groups oppose Ireland's hosting of a US president whose administration is fighting a war with Iran. More than a dozen protests were planned across the country, and a demonstration was also expected in Doonbeg, the village next to Trump's golf resort.
Irish authorities spent months preparing for the visit, calling it one of the biggest security operations in the history of the state. Roads and airspace around Doonbeg were restricted, and officers were drawn from units across the country. Organisers of the protests said they wanted to keep the events peaceful.
The Irish Open and the family business
After the Dublin meetings, Trump travelled west to attend the Amgen Irish Open at Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Doonbeg, which hosts the tournament for the first time. His sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr were expected to join him. Trump pushed his trip back by a day so he could be in the United States for the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, which meant missing the opening rounds of the event.
The visit has drawn scrutiny over cost, since Irish taxpayers fund much of the policing. Officials said the exposure was worth the expense, pointing to trade and investment ties between the two countries.