Eric Trump is not on the schedule, but Donald Trump is. He is due to fly into Dublin on Saturday morning for a two-day visit centered on golf, with a meeting planned at Áras an Uachtaráin before he heads to Doonbeg in County Clare.
The meeting places Catherine Connolly, Ireland’s president, in a formal encounter with a US president she once said she abhorred. She said: "If we are going to act as an independent sovereign state, a neutral republic, we must use our voice to speak to power and the abuse of power by president Trump."
Áras an Uachtaráin meeting
Connolly’s office is largely symbolic and has no responsibility for foreign policy, but the timing gives the meeting a sharper edge than a routine greeting. Connolly said during her election campaign that if asked, she would meet Donald Trump, and Micheál Martin is also expected to meet him separately during the visit.
Donald Trump replied in March: "He’s lucky I exist." That exchange now sits behind a face-to-face meeting in Dublin that will be formal on the surface and politically charged underneath.
Phoenix Park security
Heavy security is in place around Phoenix Park and Doonbeg, and a "No welcome for Trump" demonstration is expected to draw thousands to central Dublin on Saturday afternoon. Rosie O'Donnell, who moved to Ireland after Trump won a second term, urged Connolly to "speak truth to power," adding, "I don’t think she should drop what she believes in to be polite to a madman."
Rosie O'Donnell also called Trump, "He is like a mad king that has destroyed the country." Bobby McDonagh, the former Irish ambassador to the UK and EU, said, "That implies that it’s not to meet him in order to berate him," and added, "She’ll have an opportunity to have a chat with President Trump and make some gentle points reflective of Irish values."
Doonbeg and the Irish Open
After the Dublin meeting, Trump is due to continue to Doonbeg, County Clare, where the Irish Open is being hosted. Bobby McDonagh said, "I expect it to go smoothly."
The question now is what Catherine Connolly will actually say behind closed doors, and whether the exchange stays ceremonial while protests build in Dublin and security tightens across Phoenix Park and Doonbeg.
