Trump heads to runway home after hitting fairway at luxury golf resort
DONALD TRUMP has ended his first presidential visit to Ireland by playing golf at his luxury coastal resort.
Mr Trump and First Lady Melania Trump flew out of Shannon Airport in Air Force One yesterday afternoon, having spent two nights at his nearby five-star hotel in Doonbeg, Co Clare.
The president met local schoolchildren on the golf course during his round yesterday morning.
Standing by the ninth green, the pupils caught Mr Trump’s attention by waving American flags and were invited by the Secret Service to come and meet the president.
Abbi Shanahan, 16, said the president was “so sound”.
“He just told us to stay in school and asked if there’d be any future Taoiseachs, but I don’t know about that – I’m a bit young yet,” she said.
Abbi was not so sure about his golfing talents though. “I don’t know about his golfing, one of his shots went down into the dunes anyway, down beside the beach,” she said.
The president posed for a few pictures with the children who then treated him to a rendition of the song My Lovely Rose of Clare.
The encounter came at the end of the Trumps’ largely private visit to Ireland. The only formal engagement came on Wednesday, when Mr Trump met Irish premier Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport for talks on Brexit, trade and visa issues impacting Irish citizens wanting to travel and live in the US.
On Thursday evening, Mr Trump spent some time chatting to guests and taking selfies following a dinner at the plush Trump International Golf Links and Hotel.
The dinner, which was hosted by Mr Trump’s chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, was described as a relaxed event, with fish, chips and steak on the menu.
Stephen Kearon, a former Irish government special adviser, was among the guests.
“It was very relaxed and Mr Trump was chatting a lot and smiling a lot,” he said.
“People were walking in and out of the room, it was very casual. His two sons were up at the bar chatting away.”
Mr Trump sat beside his wife and White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. Other guests attending the dinner included senator Mark Daly, special envoy to Washington John Deasy and Irish ambassador to the US Dan Mulhall.