*Donald Trump with Clohanes NS students during his last visit to his Doonbeg resort as President.
A MAJOR security operation for the upcoming visit of US President to Co Clare is expected to surpass €20m while Trump will be given a warm welcome to the area according to the Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District.
Security will be very tight for the Amgen Irish Open which takes place at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel from September 10-13. President Trump will not attend the opening days of the European Tour event but is expected to be among the spectators for the finale on Sunday September 13th.
An expected 4,000 individuals will be involved in the logistics, planning and operations of the visit with An Garda Síochána in discussions with US Secret Service prior to Trump’s arrival.
Doonbeg will witness the largest security operation of its type for a multi-dau sporting event in Irish history with the costs involved set to soar beyond the €11.3m spent on Garda overtime during Trump’s visit to his five-star resort in June 2019.
Rory McIlroy is aiming to defend his title as Irish Open champion while Jon Rahm who won the 2019 Irish Open in Lahinch is also part of the star-studded field. It is expected that President Trump will be among those presenting the silverware to The Irish Open winner. He is also on course to host a private dinner at his Doonbeg resort.
No-fly zones will be extended around Doonbeg before and during the visit, while sailors and fishermen will be warned of an exclusion zone in coastal waters off Clare.Gardaí will man the security checkpoints on access routes across West Clare while spectators will be advised to allow for additional time to reach the venue.
Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District, Cllr Michael Shannon (FF) told The Clare Echo that President Trump will be more than welcome in the Banner County, “I will greet him and welcome him to West Clare if given the opportunity to do so”. He added, “I’m viewing it as a positive occasion for West Clare. None of us know what way it will go, our American and Irish relationship transcends whoever is in the office of President. There will be a new President in two and a half years time, the relationship between both countries stands for centuries, we have a very tight economic link between the two countries”.
Investment from the Trump family means the eighty year old will always be welcome in West Clare, the Mullagh native said. “He is very welcome here and we’re grateful for his investment. This is created out of sand dunes that were there thirty years ago and now we have world class golfers coming to the sand dunes in Doonbeg, this has been created with international relations but the spotlight of the world will be in Co Clare for these few days in Sept, you can’t buy that publicity. It is an opportunity to build friendships. I’d love to sell Kilrush to potential investors as a site for a new European base factory, the same for Ennis and Shannon, if I get the opportunity I will plant seeds to try get investment in West Clare”.
“Ever before he became President, the Trump family saw the potential in Doonbeg, they have invested lots of money in it and they have huge plans for its future. They are employing nearly 500 people in height of the summer in West Clare, we have to ensure that the employment is protected,” Cllr Shannon stressed.
West Clare will get an opportunity like no other to promote itself as a location for future economic investment, Cllr Shannon maintained. “To have the first office of the American president visiting Doonbeg, West Clare and Co Clare is an ideal opportunity for us as public representatives and for the whole county to put our best foot forward, it will be beamed around the world, the media of the world will be in Doonbeg with him and for the Irish Open, this is a huge opportunity for us to sell West Clare especially, it is a great place to come, visit, tour and golf in, we have all the facilities, it is an opportunity for a lot of people be it the government or diplomats and ministers to create new relationships because there will be people with a lot of influence attending The Irish Open in Doonbeg”.
He continued, “It will be one of the biggest weekends in Clare for a long time for political influence. For the economy of West Clare, the Irish Open and Walker Cup will extend the tourism season but we have a chance to sell West Clare around the world, Tourism Ireland will hopefully have a lot of work done to beam images around the world like when Lahinch hosted The Irish Open and we had a fantastic spin-off for five or seven years, the tourism lift from that was huge. It will also be fantastic for Shannon Airport, he is more than likely landing in Shannon so the publicity from that alone will be big, it is up to us to make what we can of it”.
Protests are certain to be held across Ireland when President Trump arrives, Cllr Shannon acknowledged. “There will be protests, where they will be organised is an issue for An Garda Síochána, there will be protests whether it is here in West Clare or Dublin, there could be a large protest in Dublin if he goes there. For us as councillors or Oireachtas members, there will be a lot of diplomats here, the serious players will be here and staying over that week, I wouldn’t be surprised but there could be a European conference in West Clare, Dromoland Castle or somewhere, that could be pencilled in, they will use his arrival to tease out trading relations between the EU and US”.
Works to improve the road infrastructure will continue over the next month, Cllr Shannon confirmed. “There’s a lot of work to be on the N68 through Kilmihil, we have a lot of ancillary works on the Inagh to Miltown road and along the R474 Kilmaley road and the road from the Ferry into Kilrush and onto Doonbeg”. Car parking facilities to cater for 3,000 cars in Doonbeg and a further 3,000 in Mullagh will be in place to allow spectators travel by bus to Trump International Golf Links & Hotel.
