Doonbeg set for 'momentous' Irish Open and Trump visit

Doonbeg is set to welcome some of the world’s best golfers as well as the president of the United States as it prepares to host the Irish Open this week.

It is a striking guest list for a small village in the west of Ireland.

The residents of Doonbeg are taking it all in their stride, after all it is not the first time US President Donald Trump has come to stay.

His name adorns the links course and hotel since he purchased the property in 2014 in a deal for a reported €15 million.

An avid golfer, Mr Trump will join the thousands of spectators coming to Doonbeg to watch the stellar line up including defending champion Rory McIlroy and two-time winner, Jon Rahm.

Unlike other spectators, his attendance will bring its own security requirements and a massive policing operation will swing into place when he lands at the resort on Marine 1 next Saturday.

The visit has been declared an extraordinary event with garda leave cancelled and members of the force drafted in from outside the Clare division to police Mr Trump’s one-night stay.

Protesters are expected in Doonbeg and Shannon Airport, with demonstrations planned to coincide with his arrival.

Cllr Rita McInerney, who runs McInerney’s convenience store in Doonbeg, said the community was accustomed to working with the authorities during his previous visits.

“He has visited before and I suppose it is something we are quite used to,” she said.

“We work very well with the gardaí and the Secret Service to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

“There is a level of necessity in terms of security, we will work with that and everything will work out fine,” she added.

She does not expect Mr Trump to drop into McInerney’s but she is prepared for all eventualities.

“If the weather becomes nice he might pop in for a 99.”

The coming week, meanwhile, will be “momentous” for Trump International Doonbeg.

It is a first for Irish golf – an Irish Open being played at the same time as a visit from a sitting US President.

The DP World Tour has been on site since early July and the course has been transformed for the tournament, with grandstands, a tented village and hospitality facilities now in place.

Security preparations have also gathered pace; the full operation will become more visible in the coming days.

“It’s a bit of an extra challenge,” said Managing Director of Trump Doonbeg Joe Russell.

He added that engagement between the resort, the DP World Tour, gardaí and security agencies would continue throughout the tournament.

He described the mood at the resort as one of “nervous excitement”.

Mr Trump is not just the owner of the resort, but a welcome guest, having stayed on a number of occasions in the past.

Mr Russell described the US president as personable and generous to staff, and a fan of the hotel’s Irish breakfast.

“He’s great, he has great time for all of the staff,” Mr Russell said, adding: “he knows a lot of people by their first name.”

“He has a huge appreciation of golf and he has a huge appreciation of the business itself,” he added.

The US president will not get to play a round of golf during his stay as the links course has been handed over to the DP World Tour for the duration of the Irish Open, but when he does get to play, Mr Russell said Mr Trump is a good golfer.

“He’s in his senior years now and he can still play. When we were playing here back 14 years ago, he could certainly get that ball down the fairway,” he said.

A US president driving a ball down the fairway was far beyond the expectations of the Doonbeg Community Development group when they set about buying the land and developing a golf course with an EU tourism grant in the 1990s.

Tommy Comerford was a member of the committee behind the golf project, and he described the official opening of the links course in 2002 as a “huge occasion in the village”.

Since the Trumps invested in the course in 2014, it has gone from strength to strength, he said.

“It’s now regarded as one of the best courses in Ireland and in Europe,” Mr Comerford said.

He said Clare County Council and DP World Tour have been hugely supportive of the people of Doonbeg as the village prepared for the Irish Open.

“As you can see our village is sparkling; newly painted, roads done, it’s fantastic. We’ll have the media of the world coming to see what Doonbeg is all about,” he added.

And that is the motto for the week ahead: ‘Come for the golf, stay for Doonbeg.’

The community wants visitors to know that the village remains open for business.

Doonbeg is hosting a three-day Fáilte Fest, with live music, family entertainment, and heritage events aimed at bringing visitors into the village during the tournament.

Investment by Clare County Council into the village and environs has been welcomed by locals, with homes and businesses repainted and improvements made to roads and public spaces.

Senior Executive Officer Clare County Council John O’Malley said the work has “really brightened up the town” and will serve as a legacy for Doonbeg.

“Clare County Council is investing a lot in this event because we want to sell the county as best we can,” Mr O’Malley said.

“It’s a beautiful part of West Clare. That’s our hope that people will see another part of the county that will attract them to Clare for a long time to come,” he added.

With the village freshly painted, the course ready and preparations nearing completion, Doonbeg is preparing for an unprecedented week – with the Irish Open and a visit from the US president bringing global attention to West Clare.