Trump Heads to Ireland for Working Visit, Irish Open Golf Tournament

DUBLIN, Ireland—President Donald Trump will make his first appearance in the Emerald Isle since 2019 on Saturday, when he arrives in the nation’s capital on a trip that serves as a diplomatic and sports-related mission.

Trump is scheduled to fly on the Boeing 747 donated by Qatar, marking the first international voyage for the aircraft since his NATO trip to Turkey in July.

Irish Tánaiste Simon Harris will greet the president on the tarmac for what is being classified as a working visit rather than a formal state occasion.

Marine One will take the leaders from the airport to Phoenix Park, Ireland’s 1,750-acre enclosure featuring the Áras an Uachtaráin, Gaelic for the president’s house; the Farmleigh House designated for official guests and formerly a residence of the Guinness family; and the Deerfield Residence, home to the U.S. ambassador.

Trump is expected to speak briefly with Irish President Catherine Connolly. The independent socialist was elected in 2025 to fill the ceremonial position. Topics of discussion remain unclear, including whether the conversation will stray into areas where the two disagree, including American foreign policy related to Gaza.

A bilateral meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin will follow, with trade talks and tariff discussions expected after the two traded barbs over the past year while negotiating pharmaceutical deals.

Security precautions forced the park, the largest enclosed public space in any European capital city, to close from Thursday through Saturday. Thousands of Irish and American law enforcement are on hand to provide protection.

An Garda Síochána Commissioner Justin Kelly told reporters the country is prepared for the task, describing the operation as one of the largest and most complex the force has undertaken.

Protests are allowed, but “there will be no tolerance for public disorder or attempts to impact critical infrastructure or movements of the President of the United States,” Kelly said.

A march dubbed “No Welcome for Trump,” organized by the Irish Neutrality League, is scheduled for Saturday after Trump has departed Dublin.

The president will then travel to the island’s west coast to spend two days at his Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, which is currently hosting the DP World Tour’s Amgen Irish Open.

Martin suggested the resort host the tournament when he visited the White House last year. Trump said at the time it was “a great honor to be chosen,” and the Trump Organization, overseen by the president’s sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., secured the dates.

Irishman Shane Lowry holds a two-shot lead over the field after setting a course record with an eight-under 62 on Friday. Defending champion Rory McIlroy is in 21st place, nine shots back heading into the weekend.

Trump marks the ninth sitting U.S. president to visit Ireland, with the first being John F. Kennedy’s stop in 1963.