Donald Trump to meet Irish president on two day visit

Donald Trump is due to meet Irish president Catherine Connolly during a two-day trip to the Republic of Ireland next week.

The US president is expected to arrive in Dublin on Saturday 12 September aboard Air Force One.

He will meet Connolly and then hold a bilateral meeting with the Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheal Martin before heading to his golf course in Doonbeg, County Clare.

Connolly has previously criticised the US over its position on Gaza, but said she would "meet and greet" the US president if he came to Ireland.

During her presidential campaign last year, she described Trump as a "bully".

"Have I a trust problem with America? I think every person in the country has a trust problem with America," she said.

"We have a president, (Donald) Trump, who is volatile, unpredictable, acting like a bully, bringing in tariffs when it suits him.

"We keep talking about the consequences of tariffs but we don't talk about the consequences of genocide."

Trump referred to the Irish president as "he" during a bilateral meeting with Martin in the Oval Office last March for St Patrick's Day celebrations.

Asked what he thought of Connolly's comments criticising violations of international law in the Middle East, Trump said: "Look, he's lucky I exist, that's all I can say."

BBC News NI understands that an earlier planned sod turning for the new US embassy in the Irish capital is now unlikely to take place.

Trump is, however, expected to watch matches at the Irish Open golf tournament, and some sources believe he will present the winner with a trophy on Sunday evening.

The major security operation will be closely overseen by Irish security forces.

The last US president to visit Ireland was Joe Biden in April 2023.