Doonbeg (Ireland) (AFP) – In the windswept village of Doonbeg on Ireland's Atlantic coast, Donald Trump is less polarising US president and more golf resort owner credited with bringing jobs and money to a remote corner of the country.
Issued on: 11/09/2026 - 04:16
3 min Reading time
Trump arrives in Ireland on Saturday for a two-day visit, stopping for a few hours in Dublin before heading west to his Trump International Golf Links, where the Irish Open began Thursday.The tournament is set to draw up to 75,000 spectators to the links course, set among towering dunes on a rugged stretch of County Clare coastline.The 80-year-old American president is expected to attend the tournament over the weekend and present the trophy after Sunday's final round.Despite some villagers' appreciation for the resort's economic benefits, his arrival is drawing opposition further afield in Ireland, where Trump remains deeply unpopular.More than two-thirds of Irish people do not welcome the visit, according to a Sunday Independent / Ireland Thinks poll reported last week.A "No Welcome for Trump" demonstration is planned in Dublin on Saturday, with protesters angry about his policies on Gaza, immigration and climate change.Demonstrations are also expected around Doonbeg and its nearest airport, Shannon, over the weekend.The golf course itself has twice been targeted by pro-Palestinian activists in the past 18 months.Police patrolled Doonbeg's main street this week as preparations intensified for what security sources have described as one of the most complex security operations ever mounted in Ireland.
