‘You managed to hold onto the chain when there was clear jealousy that the one thing the President didn’t have was a chain’

A CLARE councillor has joked that US President Donald Trump was missing one thing when he visited Doonbeg — the Cathaoirleach’s chain.

Speaking at the September meeting of Clare County Council, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) reflected on the county’s hosting of the Amgen Irish Open and the visit of President Trump.

He described the two weekends of golf in Lahinch and Doonbeg as “absolutely fabulous” and said the quality of the production at both courses had been exceptional.

Turning to Cllr Joe Killeen’s role as Cathaoirleach during the President’s visit, Cllr Talty said: “You managed to hold onto the chain when there was clear jealousy that the one thing the President didn’t have was a chain.”

The remark referred to the ceremonial chain worn by Cllr Killeen in his role as Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council.

Cllr Talty’s comments came as councillors reflected on the international attention Clare received during the Walker Cup at Lahinch Golf Club and the Amgen Irish Open at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg.

Cllr Pat Daly (FF) also praised Cllr Killeen’s role during the President’s visit, quipping: “And well done, I heard you spoke to the President and got the tariff reduced on the whiskey “Well done. Well done on that, Mayor – you’ll go down in history for that.”

His comments came after President Trump announced during his visit that the US would remove its 10% tariff on Irish whiskey.

Cllr Talty described the last two weekends as “monumental” for North and West Clare, praising the agencies, volunteers and local communities involved.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme