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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The 80-year-old American president is expected to attend the tournament over the weekend and present the trophy after Sunday’s final round.<\/p>\n
Despite some villagers’ appreciation for the resort’s economic benefits, his arrival is drawing opposition further afield in Ireland, where Trump remains deeply unpopular.<\/p>\n
More than two-thirds of Irish people do not welcome the visit, according to a Sunday Independent \/ Ireland Thinks poll reported last week.<\/p>\n
A “No Welcome for Trump” demonstration is planned in Dublin on Saturday, with protesters angry about his policies on Gaza, immigration and climate change.<\/p>\n
Demonstrations are also expected around Doonbeg and its nearest airport, Shannon, over the weekend.<\/p>\n
The golf course itself has twice been targeted by pro-Palestinian activists in the past 18 months.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Around 4,000 Irish and US security personnel are expected to be involved, with armed officers including snipers and anti-drone technology among the measures planned.<\/p>\n
In Doonbeg — population 784 — the Trump resort employs around 300 people at the height of the tourist season.<\/p>\n
Local councillor and cafe owner Rita McInerney estimates it contributes around six million euros ($7 million) annually to the local economy through wages, plus a similar amount through purchases of goods and services.<\/p>\n
– ‘Welcome’ –<\/p>\n
Young people in particular find summer work at the sprawling complex, which attracts large numbers of American visitors.<\/p>\n
“It’s bandied about that the resort has put half of (County) Clare through college,” she laughed, while handing a customer an americano through the hatch of her coffee truck.<\/p>\n
The golf course and its economic relationship with the region predates Trump.<\/p>\n
Community activist Tommy Comerford was part of a local group that began pursuing the idea of building a golf resort in the 1990s, hoping to create jobs and stem economic decline.<\/p>\n
US developers eventually built the course, which opened in 2002. Trump bought the struggling resort in 2014 for a reported 15 million euros.<\/p>\n
“International politics is very difficult,” Comerford told AFP outside his pub on Doonbeg’s main street.<\/p>\n
“A lot of things have happened over the last few years which are outside our control,” he said.<\/p>\n
For Comerford, Trump’s politics and his role as a local investor are separate issues.<\/p>\n
“People have their right to agree or disagree with the developer. But that’s not our problem,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I would say to Trump that you are welcome to Doonbeg as an investor who has increased our economy here and provided jobs.”<\/p>\n
Trump’s son Eric, who oversees the family’s golf interests, is a more regular visitor and is familiar to villagers.<\/p>\n
Nearby, a shop window displayed a poster of the US president wearing a red cap emblazoned with the golf-themed slogan “Make Birdies Great Again”.<\/p>\n
Local pensioner Kevin Bridgeman said he would have no hesitation greeting Trump if their paths crossed.<\/p>\n
“If Donald Trump walked down the road, I’d go over and shake his hand and say, ‘Welcome to Doonbeg’,” the 63-year-old said.<\/p>\n
Then he grinned. “I’d tell him, ‘it’s your round. Now let’s go to the bar and buy me a drink!'”<\/p>\n
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