U.S. President Donald Trump is gearing up for a high-profile two-day visit to the Republic of Ireland next September, blending diplomatic commitments, a major ceremonial event, and a personal passion for golf at his own coastal resort. The upcoming trip, which marks Trump’s first return to Ireland since his first presidential term in June 2019, has already triggered extensive security planning across both the Irish capital Dublin and rural County Clare, where his Trump International Golf Links is located.
According to details obtained by BBC News Northern Ireland, the working itinerary for the visit sees Trump arriving in Dublin first aboard Air Force One, before moving to high-level diplomatic meetings. The confirmed first engagement is a bilateral discussion with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Farmleigh House, the Irish prime minister’s official state guesthouse located within Dublin’s Phoenix Park. A second meeting with Irish President Catherine Connolly at her official residence Áras an Uachtaráin, also situated within Phoenix Park, remains unconfirmed, a key point of note given Connolly has publicly criticized Trump on multiple occasions in the past.
One of the core ceremonial events of the Dublin leg will be the sod-turning ceremony for the new U.S. Embassy facility in Dublin’s upscale Ballsbridge neighborhood. The groundbreaking event marks a key milestone in the long-planned relocation of the United States’ diplomatic mission in Ireland, drawing attention to ongoing U.S.-Irish bilateral relations. After concluding his engagements in Dublin, Trump will travel west to County Clare to fulfill his long-stated goal of attending the 2025 Irish Open, which is being hosted at his own Trump National Golf Club Doonbeg.
An avid golf enthusiast, Trump first publicly confirmed his intention to attend the tournament during a pre-recorded video address to the U.S. Embassy’s Fourth of July celebration earlier this summer. In the remarks, broadcast to the crowd on a large screen, Trump highlighted the deep ties between the United States and Ireland, saying, “There’s nothing better than Irish-American friendship and I have a beautiful place over there – it’s one of the best, most beautiful golf courses anywhere in the world.” He added that he was eager to watch top-ranked competitors including Rory McIlroy, the defending Irish Open champion and 2025 Masters winner, and top Spanish golfer Jon Rahm, a standout on the European Ryder Cup team. “It’ll be something very, very special,” he said of the tournament.
The 2025 Irish Open will run from September 10 to 13 at the Doonbeg course, with a stacked field that includes many of the world’s top golfers. McIlroy, who will defend the title he claimed at the tournament in 2024, previously played a round with Trump at the course in early 2025. Security officials across Ireland are already preparing for the visit, which will require large-scale coordinated operations in both County Clare – a region Trump has visited multiple times before – and the capital Dublin, as authorities work to secure all venues on the president’s working itinerary. While final adjustments to the schedule are still being made, the trip stands as a notable example of high-level bilateral engagement between the U.S. and Ireland, blending diplomatic business with the U.S. president’s personal interests.