Trump to Visit Ireland for Irish Open at His Doonbeg Golf Resort

President Donald Trump is set to spend the weekend in Ireland, combining official engagements with a visit to the Irish Open, the professional tournament being staged at his own golf resort on the country's Atlantic coast.

The trip follows his attendance at Friday's commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which killed more than 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. The White House has framed the Ireland stop as a brief respite from the pressures of the Iran war and domestic unease over the conflict's economic consequences.

Trump International Golf Links at Doonbeg is hosting the Irish Open, which began on Thursday. The president, an enthusiastic golfer who plays at his courses in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia most weekends, is expected to attend the tournament and may present the winner's trophy on Sunday.

The visit was set in motion when Prime Minister Micheál Martin invited Trump to the Open during a St. Patrick's Day trip to Washington in March. Irish political leaders are likely to treat the stop as an opportunity to preserve cordial ties despite disagreements over trade and foreign policy.

Daniel Mulhall, a former Irish ambassador to the United States, described the trip as a welcome chance for the president to rest in a place he holds dear, adding that relations between Dublin and Washington remain on an even footing.

On Saturday, Trump is scheduled to discuss trade and international affairs with Martin, and to hold a brief meeting with President Catherine Connolly, the progressive campaigner elected as Ireland's ceremonial head of state last year. He will also address business leaders at the US ambassador's residence, according to the White House, before travelling to Doonbeg.

The two countries are bound by deep historical and economic links. Around 30 million Americans claim Irish heritage, and more than a million visit Ireland each year. US technology and pharmaceutical companies generate billions in corporate tax revenue for the Irish exchequer and employ over 200,000 people in the country. Ireland, an EU member frequently criticised by Trump, has so far escaped steep tariffs on its lucrative pharmaceutical sector.

The Middle East could prove a point of friction. Ireland has recognised a Palestinian state and banned goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, positions at odds with the Trump administration. Martin, who leads a centre-right coalition, has built a friendly rapport with Trump, though the president said in the Oval Office in March 2025 that Ireland was "of course" among nations taking advantage of the United States.

Not everyone in Ireland is welcoming the visit. More than 150 Irish lawyers signed a letter objecting to it, arguing that Trump's support for the conflicts in Gaza and Iran amounts to enabling unlawful wars that cause widespread death and destruction. A coalition of left-leaning opposition parties, anti-military groups, pro-Palestinian organisations and environmentalists plans to demonstrate in Dublin on Saturday.

The president's attendance continues a pattern of appearances at major sporting events, some of which have benefited his family business. His clubs in Doral, Florida, and Bedminster, New Jersey, each hosted professional tournaments this year. In July, he marked the 250th anniversary of US independence with a UFC fight night on the White House South Lawn and sanctioned the first IndyCar race on Washington's streets. Since returning to office in January 2025, he has attended the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, the FIFA Club World Cup final and the US Open men's tennis final, and has said he will serve as honorary chairman at the Presidents Cup near Chicago in late September. Last summer he visited his Scottish courses, meeting then-prime minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The visit has brought a large security operation to the rural area about 175 miles (280 kilometres) west of Dublin, complicated by the roughly 20,000 golf fans attending the Open. Local councillor Rita McInerney, who runs a shop in Doonbeg, said Trump's 2014 purchase of the course has been a mixed blessing. She said the town has been "vilified" by some in Ireland over its Trump connection, but that the resort is a major employer and a responsible local business. The area attracts American tourists, she added — some drawn by the golf, others by their support for Trump, while still others stay away because he owns the property.