Former U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to touch down at Dublin Airport on Saturday morning to kick off a two-day official visit to the Republic of Ireland, a trip that blends high-level diplomatic engagement, a major sporting appearance, and widespread planned protest action across the country.
Following his arrival, Trump’s first agenda items include a courtesy meeting with Irish President Catherine Connolly, followed by a formal bilateral discussion with Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin. He will also join a series of scheduled events at the Dublin Phoenix Park residence of U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Ed Walsh before traveling west to County Clare.
In Clare, Trump will attend the Amgen Irish Open, which this year is being hosted at Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Doonbeg — a property he owns. This marks Trump’s first return to the Republic of Ireland since 2019, when he also visited his Clare golf course during a previous trip. He will be accompanied at the tournament by his two sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has expressed a warm public welcome for the visit, noting ahead of Trump’s arrival that both sides will use the meeting to address a range of topics of shared bilateral interest. In an official statement released Friday evening, Martin reaffirmed the deep and longstanding economic, cultural, and people-to-people connections between Ireland and the United States. He also framed the visit as a fitting cap to what has been a standout summer of international sport hosted across both Ireland and the U.S., adding that he hoped an Irish golfer would claim the tournament trophy on Sunday.
An avid golf enthusiast himself, Trump has openly shared his excitement for the tournament for months. In a pre-recorded video address to the U.S. Embassy’s Fourth of July celebration in July, he spoke enthusiastically about his Doonbeg course, calling it one of the most scenic and top-tier golf properties in the world, and said he was eager to watch star players including Northern Irish golf legend Rory McIlroy compete.
The trip comes with significant logistical and security preparation: Irish security forces have spent months planning for the visit, which is set to be one of the largest security operations in the history of the Irish state. Organizers are expecting thousands of protesters to gather in Dublin, with a smaller parallel protest also planned in Doonbeg during Trump’s attendance at the golf tournament.
A key point of political tension ahead of the visit surrounds Irish President Catherine Connolly, a well-known activist for Palestinian causes in Gaza who has previously been publicly critical of U.S. policy and has called Trump’s approach to international tariffs “bullying”. Multiple Irish political parties, including major opposition party Sinn Féin that supported Connolly’s 2025 presidential campaign, have publicly called on her to raise the ongoing crisis in Gaza during her scheduled meeting with Trump. Ireland has long held one of the most pro-Palestinian stances among European Union member states, a position that has drawn repeated criticism from the Israeli government.