President Donald Trump has timed his upcoming trip to the Republic of Ireland to coincide with the final two days of the Irish Open.
The president will be in Ireland on September 12 and 13 and will visit the U.S. Embassy in Dublin and meet with Irish President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheal Martin, according to The New York Post, citing a White House official.
The encounter could prove tense as Connolly has previously called him “volatile”, “unpredictable” and capable of “acting like a bully.”
Perhaps of greater interest to Trump will be his stay at his own golf course, the Trump International Golf Links and Hotel, in Doonbeg, County Clare, which will see him arrive in time to catch the Open as Rory McIlroy, a personal favorite, seeks to defend his title.
Trump hosted McIlroy at the state dinner he held for King Charles III in April and took time out to praise the Masters champion’s “unconquerable courage.”
President Donald Trump has arranged his latest trip to Ireland next month to coincide with the final two days of the Irish Open, taking place at his golf course in Doonbeg, County Clare (PA)
“That was very good, Rory,” he said. “Where is Rory McIlroy, can you stand up please? I don’t know if that helps them talk about how wonderful my speech is but I had to interrupt my speech because I watched that man win a tournament that was a tough… that was a tough one. Congratulations, very proud of you.”
McIlroy famously taunted Trump last September when his European side beat the U.S. team in the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, New York, posting a viral video in which he led his teammates in a chant of: “Are you watching, Donald Trump?”
The president has form when it comes to turning his official duties into a golfing opportunity, arranging last year’s trip to Scotland to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and then-British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer so that it took place at his Turnberry course in South Ayrshire.
He also used that trip, which inspired local protests over the cost of his security requirements incurred by local taxpayers, to open a new private course in Aberdeen.
The Trump International Golf Links and Hotel in Doonbeg, Ireland, which the president acquired in 2014 and claims has ‘revitalized’ the community (Getty)
More recently, was at his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, for a weekend coinciding with the four-day LIV Golf New York tournament. His visit sparked a security scare when several planes crossing into local airspace were in violation of temporary flight restrictions, forcing fighter jets to be scrambled to escort them to safety.
The Doonbeg course was designed by another golfing great, Greg Norman, and was acquired by Trump in 2014, 12 years after its opening.
He made a memorable visit there with his sons Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump during his first term in June 2019 when the younger Trumps descended on the local pub to buy the punters a round.
Trump made a more low-key return in May 2023 when he was out of office, during which he claimed his course had “revitalized” the community and was greeted by local supporters, some of whom wore MAGA merchandise with an Irish twist in tribute.