Star Metro - Trump in Ireland for golf tournament, diplomatic pleasantries

The US president touched down at Dublin airport in his Qatari-gifted plane shortly before 8:25 am (0725 GMT) under a security operation dubbed one of the largest ever mounted in Ireland.

At least 4,000 police and other personnel, including snipers, are mobilised for the visit, which will see Trump fly to his luxury resort in Doonbeg on Ireland's west coast to watch the Irish Open golf tournament.

First, Trump inspected a military guard of honour after being received by left-wing President Catherine Connolly, an outspoken critic of the US leader, at her official residence in the Irish capital.

Connolly, whose role is largely ceremonial, has in the past accused Trump of "acting like a bully".

But the short meeting appeared courteous, with Connolly gifting Trump a collection of poems by Belfast poet Michael Longley.

His most famous work, a plea for forgiveness inspired by Homer and written against the backdrop of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, is titled "Ceasefire".

As he left the venue, Trump briefly answered two shouted questions from reporters: he insisted that everything would "work out fine" in the Gulf and claimed "prices will tumble" if the UK opens up the North Sea for oil and gas drilling.

The US president then met Ireland's taoiseach (prime minister) Micheal Martin, where the Middle East, including America's and Israel's war on Iran, and US tariffs on EU pharmaceuticals and immigration were likely to be on the agenda.

- 'Keep our heads down' -

Ireland and the United States have long been close allies, partly because of their common ancestral ties.

But the Irish government's politics diverge sharply from those of the Trump administration on many issues, with Ireland being one of Europe's most pro-Palestinian countries.

Ireland is among several countries, including Spain, the UK and France, that have announced a trade ban targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

After a brief visit to the US embassy, Trump was due to fly to his Doonbeg -- a remote, coastal site in County Clare that the Trump Organization purchased in 2014, where some of the world's top golfers are competing.

His attendance at the Irish Open adds an extra layer of complexity to a security effort that is reportedly costing Ireland 20 million euros ($23 million).

It comes with the country already grappling with a massive policing operation for its six-month presidency of the EU.

Some 40,000 fans are expected at the tournament over the weekend, with six-time major winner and current world number two Rory McIlroy the main draw.

McIlroy, who has played golf with Trump, told the BBC this week that the tournament will feel "different" with the US president on site, but that the players will just "keep our heads down and play".

- 'Business' -

The 80-year-old billionaire has promoted his family's golf business unabashedly since returning to the White House for his second stint as president in January 2025.

Last summer, he welcomed then-UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen to his plush resort at Turnberry on the west coast of Scotland.

Trump then inaugurated another golf course bearing his name in the town of Balmedie, near Aberdeen on the northeast Scottish coast.

"He certainly sends a message that he is passionately interested in his own family's business," University of Minnesota law professor Richard Painter said ahead of the Ireland trip.

"It's not going to help the Republican party in the midterms to have the president... promoting his golf courses for the super-wealthy, when other people are having trouble making ends meet," the expert on government ethics added.

The golf-mad president -- whose relaxed relationship with the game's rules was documented by sports journalist Rick Reilly in the 2019 book "Commander in Cheat" -- may even award the trophy on Sunday.

"He's really just visiting the golf resort he owns and dropping into Dublin for a courtesy visit," Daniel Geary, a US history professor at Trinity College Dublin, told AFP.

"He sees little difference between his private interests and his role as president."

P.Beaulieu--SMC