The China Mail - Appreciation, anger await as Trump heads to Irish golf resort

Trump arrives in Ireland on Saturday for a two-day visit, stopping for a few hours in Dublin before heading west to his Trump International Golf Links, where the Irish Open began Thursday.

The tournament is set to draw up to 75,000 spectators to the links course, set among towering dunes on a rugged stretch of County Clare coastline.

The 80-year-old American president is expected to attend the tournament over the weekend and present the trophy after Sunday's final round.

Despite some villagers' appreciation for the resort's economic benefits, his arrival is drawing opposition further afield in Ireland, where Trump remains deeply unpopular.

More than two-thirds of Irish people do not welcome the visit, according to a Sunday Independent / Ireland Thinks poll reported last week.

A "No Welcome for Trump" demonstration is planned in Dublin on Saturday, with protesters angry about his policies on Gaza, immigration and climate change.

Demonstrations are also expected around Doonbeg and its nearest airport, Shannon, over the weekend.

The golf course itself has twice been targeted by pro-Palestinian activists in the past 18 months.

Police patrolled Doonbeg's main street this week as preparations intensified for what security sources have described as one of the most complex security operations ever mounted in Ireland.

Around 4,000 Irish and US security personnel are expected to be involved, with armed officers including snipers and anti-drone technology among the measures planned.

In Doonbeg -- population 784 -- the Trump resort employs around 300 people at the height of the tourist season.

Local councillor and cafe owner Rita McInerney estimates it contributes around six million euros ($7 million) annually to the local economy through wages, plus a similar amount through purchases of goods and services.

- 'Welcome' -

Young people in particular find summer work at the sprawling complex, which attracts large numbers of American visitors.

"It's bandied about that the resort has put half of (County) Clare through college," she laughed, while handing a customer an americano through the hatch of her coffee truck.

The golf course and its economic relationship with the region predates Trump.

Community activist Tommy Comerford was part of a local group that began pursuing the idea of building a golf resort in the 1990s, hoping to create jobs and stem economic decline.

US developers eventually built the course, which opened in 2002. Trump bought the struggling resort in 2014 for a reported 15 million euros.

"International politics is very difficult," Comerford told AFP outside his pub on Doonbeg's main street.

"A lot of things have happened over the last few years which are outside our control," he said.

For Comerford, Trump's politics and his role as a local investor are separate issues.

"People have their right to agree or disagree with the developer. But that's not our problem," he said.

"I would say to Trump that you are welcome to Doonbeg as an investor who has increased our economy here and provided jobs."

Trump's son Eric, who oversees the family's golf interests, is a more regular visitor and is familiar to villagers.

Nearby, a shop window displayed a poster of the US president wearing a red cap emblazoned with the golf-themed slogan "Make Birdies Great Again".

Local pensioner Kevin Bridgeman said he would have no hesitation greeting Trump if their paths crossed.

"If Donald Trump walked down the road, I'd go over and shake his hand and say, 'Welcome to Doonbeg'," the 63-year-old said.

Then he grinned. "I'd tell him, 'it's your round. Now let's go to the bar and buy me a drink!'"

G.Fung--ThChM