US President Donald Trump is spending the final day of his two-day visit to the Republic of Ireland at his golf resort in Doonbeg, County Clare, where he is expected to watch the concluding action of the Irish Open.
Trump arrived in Ireland as part of his European trip and is due to depart from Shannon Airport on Sunday evening.
His visit has combined political engagements with his interest in golf. On Saturday, he met Irish President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin during meetings in Dublin.
During his meeting with Martin at Farmleigh House in Phoenix Park, Trump said he believed a united Ireland would eventually become a reality.
He described Irish unity as a “fantastic thing” and said Martin was the “right man over here to get it moving”.
“Now the UK would have something to say about it obviously but I think it would be a great thing, I mean, how can it be bad?” Trump said.
The remarks drew a response from Downing Street, which referred to Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s comments in the House of Commons on Wednesday that he “will stick to it (the Good Friday Agreement) 100%”.
Burnham had also said that the decision on a potential border poll would rest with the Northern Ireland secretary “when there is clear consensus in the country – when public opinion has changed to the point at which the call has to be considered”.
A spokesperson for Martin said Trump’s position on Irish unity was not unexpected, noting that the US president has been “consistent in his view that he sees unity in Ireland as the optimal outcome”.
Trump’s presence in Ireland also prompted demonstrations, with more than 10,000 people marching through Dublin on Saturday to protest against the US president and his policies.
The president had already left the city by the time the demonstration began, but organisers said the protest was intended to make their opposition clear.
The visit also led to a security incident at Trump’s golf resort. Three women were arrested on Saturday evening after allegedly trespassing on the Doonbeg golf links and later appeared before a special sitting of Ennis District Court.
Trump, who is a keen golfer, is expected to remain at the resort to watch the final day of the Irish Open.
Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, who is defending the title he won last year, previously played golf with Trump in early 2025. Trump has also praised McIlroy’s achievements following his back-to-back Masters victories.
Beyond the political attention surrounding the visit, residents and business owners in Doonbeg have welcomed the economic activity generated by the tournament.
Local businessman Martin Kelly described the village as “very fortunate” to have the Trump International Golf Course, highlighting its importance as an employer.
“It’s a massive employer here to be honest with you,” he told BBC News NI.
“There’s nothing else about here at that scale; they’re very decent people to work for, they’re very fair.”
Kelly said residents were “very proud” to host the tournament and viewed it largely through an economic lens.
“We’re not into politics here, we’re into business. And it’s a massive business to us. Doonbeg is one of the best links course in the world. Donald Trump isn’t perfect but look he’s not doing a bad job either.
“Hopefully Shane Lowry can win now with the help of God, and hopefully he can come to Doonbeg afterwards for a beer, I’ll buy him one if he does.”
Seoirse Comerford, who owns the Comerford bar in Doonbeg, also described the tournament as “unbelievable”, saying the influx of visitors had transformed the normally quiet village.
“If you look at the red double decker buses going up and down the street full of people, we never thought we would have seen the like of that,” he said.
Comerford said the golf course had become crucial to the local economy and was helping keep the community “alive”.
“Most rural villages in west Clare are all dying a death, young people going away to college, they don’t come back.
“Like there’s over 300 people employed up there at the golf course, it’s a big boost to the local economy. You’ve got big companies in Dublin, like Intel, the golf course is our Intel down here.
“I probably wouldn’t have taken over the bar business other than the golf course being up there.
“We would have had 1,000 plus through the pub on Saturday night and the same Friday night, so there’s a lot of people around the village, which is great to see.
