Trump tells the UK government to “drill baby drill” in the North Sea
Trump was doorstepped on the golf course as he went out to watch the final rounds.
He reiterated what he had said many time previously that the UK needed to start drilling in the North Sea again.
“If the UK is going to open up the North Sea, the UK is going to be rich. If it doesn’t open up the North Sea, the UK is going to be bankrupt,” he told reporters.
Aberdeen, he said, would be the “unbelievable capital” of the oil industry in the UK again.
Earlier this year the UK government banned new oil and gas exploration licences in the North Sea though existing licences will continue to operate.
Trump peppers Taoiseach with questions about North-South cooperation
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has spoken to the media about his lunch with US President Donald Trump and outlined how the US President asked about the economic issues and Northern Ireland as well as discussing golf courses. It comes as Trump separately on Sunday stood over controversial comments he made about Irish unity.
Martin said it has been a “fantastic Irish Open” and “we’re all hoping that Shane Lowry can pull it off which I think would be fantastic icing on the cake of what has been a fantastic four days of golf.”
He said the tournament has put Doonbeg and west Clare “on the map” adding: “The Trump family made a huge investment here over many, many years. #
“I met with Eric Trump [Donald Trump’s son] earlier today and he was taking me through his own experiences of Ireland and how familiar he is with Ireland and their deep commitment and affection for this course.”
Martin also spoke of his lunch with the US president.
“I had lunch with President Trump, Mary and I, and our respective ambassadors”. He set out how there was conversation about golf and that Trump was “was curious about many issues in terms of Ireland both economically and also in terms of the North.
“He was asking me lots of questions about the North-South and relationships and so on like that.”
Shane Lowry cruising to victory
Shane Lowry just scored his sixth birdie of his final round of the Amgen Irish Open.
Lowry birdied the 14th and is nine shots ahead of the field.
He is cruising to victory and a rendezvous with President Donald Trump who will present the trophy to the winner in about a half an hour’s time.
Lowry won the Irish Open as an amateur in 2009. He last won a tournament in 2022. What a return from the proud man from Clara, Co Offaly.
Shane Lowry’s on fire. He’s just holed a 60 footer from the edge of the 15th green to go ten ahead. This is exhibition stuff. He almost scored another birdie on the par three 16th hitting the flag with an attempted chip in. The pressure’s off. He’s romping home.
Three Celtic leaders to call for independence referenda
President Donald Trump’s endorsement of a united Ireland could hardly be more timely and inconvenient for the British government.
It has now emerged that Trump’s comments weren’t off the cuff or off the top of his head. They were calculated to inflict maximum damage on a British government whom he accuses of doing nothing to help him in the Iran war.
Coincidentally, the leaders of the three devolved Celtic “nations”, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are meeting on Monday to sign a memorandum of understanding pushing for referendums in their respective countries.
The trio will meet in their capacity as party leaders, rather than as officials in their respective governments.
Michelle O’Neill cannot sign the memorandum of understanding as first minister as she does not have the permission of the deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly to do so.
Nevertheless, the three leaders SNP leader John Swinney, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth and O’Neill will see the MOU as the starting gun in a likely protracted campaign to get independent referenda on the table.
Trump’s entourage getting ready to depart Ireland
CNBC has live footage of the presidential cavalcade on its way to Doonbeg to pick up Trump.
The US president will present the trophy to home favourite Shane Lowry and then depart immediately for Marine One to be taken to Shannon Airport where he will fly back to the United States tonight.
The crowds are now approaching the 18th green to see the very popular Lowry win the Irish Open for the first time in 17 years.
Trump is on the balcony looking down at a masterful display by Lowry and the crowd are starting to chant the Irish sporting anthem “ole,óle,óle”.
Emotional Lowry dedicates win to his family
Shane Lowry just holed the last with a huge putt and he’s won it by 11 shots.
President Donald Trump watching from the balcony is unlikely to see a display of golf quite like it. Lowry just carded a 63 today to win the Amgen Irish Open for the first time in 17 years.
Lowry is quite emotional about it and dedicated to his wife and daughters who are living back in Florida.
“My daughter keeps asking me when I’m going to bring a trophy home, now I’m bringing it home,” he said.
“This year has been quite difficult for me. I had a few chances to win. I have had very tough times.
“I don’t do things by half-measures. A lot of things went right to me.”
The crowd are now singing The Fields of Athenry and, of course “óle, óle, óle”.
Trump celebrates Grandparents Day
Today is Grandparents Day in the United States and the White House is making sure the rest of the world knows about it.
The White House has posted a picture of President Donald Trump speaking to one of his grandchildren.
“To the world, he’s the President. But to some, he’s still just Grandpa. ❤️Happy Grandparents Day!” the White House official X account posted.
Luke Trump is one of the US president’s 11 grandchildren. Luke is the son of Eric and Lara Trump.
Lara posted on X: “No better way to celebrate being 9 than in Ireland with Grandpa! 🇮🇪🎂🤗 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUKE! 💛”
Trumps present trophy to hometown favourite Shane Lowry
Donald Trump has just presented the American Crystal trophy for the Amgen Irish Open to Shane Lowry.
A raucous home crowd has been singing football chants and cheering as Lowry lifted the trophy into the air.
“Golf has been quite difficult this year. I just kept fighting through it. Little did I know I would do something like this,” he said.
“I’m happy that I put on a show for everybody.”
He was about to sign off on his post-win interview, but he jumped in to thank Trump who was standing beside him.
“Thank you Mr President for coming to this amazing golf tournament and thank you for this amazing golf course,” he told him.
Lowry’s father Brendan didn’t see the final round. He went home to watch Clara being beaten in the Offaly senior football championship.
Trump to take tariffs off Irish whiskey
Donald Trump has said that he will take tariffs off Irish whiskey.
As he wrapped up his address to the crowd Trump said: “On behalf of my son Eric and the whole Trump family this is an honour. We’re so proud.
“We own Doonbeg and frankly Ireland itself has been so incredible, so inviting, and we’re very honoured by presenting you with a great course. It’s been great.”
Then he added: “I want to mention one thing the Taoiseach and I talked about it and Shane [Lowry] talked about it and everybody’s been bugging me. They’re saying: ‘Will you do me a favour, it’s so unfair what’s going on. Could you possibly take the tariffs off of Irish Whiskey?’”
“And I said on on behalf of the United States of America I am going to take the tariffs off.”
Trump accused by Tory politician of ‘playing games’
Conservative foreign affairs spokesman Tom Tugendhat has become the latest British politician to express his displeasure at Donald Trump’s comments about a united Ireland.
“I knew Trump was a Republican, but I didn’t know he was that kind of a republican,” Tugendhat told Sky News.
“That’s not how we expect allies to behave. We all agree that the people of Northern Ireland have the right to choose their own future.
“That’s the agreement we came to through the Good Friday Agreement and the Americans were the brokers of it.
“It’s a shame that he’s playing games.”
Marine One is just taxiing to its stand beside Air Force One at Shannon Airport.
Air Force One is on the tarmac waiting to fly the president back to the United States.
Trump gets ready to leave Ireland
President Donald Trump has just got out of Marine One and is approaching Air Force One.
His son Eric, Eric’s wife Lara and their two children are on the tarmac to greet him and to form a guard of honour before he embarks on the Aircraft.
He appears to be saying a few final words to the press, but we’re not sure what he has said yet as the RTÉ feed isn’t audible.
At least he has a smile on his face.
The impromptu press conference appears to be going on longer than many had expected.
Trump says he will ‘take a look’ at British government sanctions on Israeli settlers
Trump has been asked about the proposals by the UK government to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
His response appears to suggest that he hasn’t given it much thought yet.
He is due to have a call with the UK prime minister Andy Burnham on Monday or Tuesday.
“I’ll be taking a look at it then”.
He’s also being asked about various mid-term elections and also the prospects of JD Vance being the 2028 Republican presidential nominee.
“It’s too early to say yet,” he says.
Trump is saying that he intends to give US voters $5,000 each if Republicans win the mid-terms.
Trump is extemporising at length on the tarmac at Shannon Airport.
“Would anybody like to be press secretary,” he asks the assembled press corps in reference to Karoline Leavitt who recently resigned from the position.
Trump is now posing for photographs on the runway with his Eric and family. He’s also saying goodbye to the US ambassador to Ireland Ed Walsh and to the Irish ambassador to the US Geraldine Byrne Nason. He’s finally got on the plane and Air Force One is about to take off.
🚨 President Trump signals he will NOT be attempt to intervene in the Lindsay Clancy case, despite her attorney’s pleas for him to do so
“There is NO WINNER there. There’s no win no matter what you do. 3 children are DEAD.”
“That’s something THEY have to work out.” pic.twitter.com/ibzyaKkQi5
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 13, 2026
Air Force One departs Ireland
Air Force One has just departed Shannon Airport at 8.10pm flying west to Washington D.C.
The airplane flew into a beautiful orange sunset on its way back to the United States.
The Government will be pleased that the two day visit went without a hitch.
Trump’s comments about a united Ireland will be the most memorable thing about the visit, but it is hard to see it having long-term consequences.
Trump’s announcement at the end that he is lifting tariffs on Irish whiskey will endear him to that sector at least.