Trump in Doonbeg: 'I wish the protests weren't here' says local resident
US president Donald Trump on day four of the Amgen Irish Open Golf Championship 2026 at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, Clare. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
"I wish the protests weren’t here. We’d have enjoyed the golf better."
Doonbeg resident Michael Neenan, whose house was a few doors down from the anti-Trump protests on the village’s main street, said he had mixed feelings about the atmosphere surrounding the visit of the US president.
In sentiments echoed by many fellow residents, he said he welcomed what golf was doing for the entire county, but he was “no fan of Trump”.
The 80-year-old said: “I don't agree with any of his policies. He’s very divisive.
"But there is no doubt the Irish Open will put Doonbeg on the map. There is a lot of negativity because of him.
"We’ve always welcomed American presidents ... and they were delighted to be here. But Trump is different.”
He was speaking moments before a large contingent of Cork protestors arrived in the village, escorted by gardaí past the gable end of his house.
“The Irish Open is a fantastic event for the village and for surrounding areas but when you see all the protests, it's not good,” he said.
“I have been to several sporting events around the world — the Olympics, the Tour de France, everywhere, and I never saw protests there.
“They’re getting their message across but I wish the protest wasn't here, and we'd have enjoyed the golf better because it might never again come to Doonbeg.
“It’s a pity they have to protest against the man that owns the place.”
More than 200 people from the area work at Trump's golf resort, and the people that benefit the most are businesses in the village.
“The ordinary resident gets little or nothing positive out of Trump," said one resident who wished to remain anonymous.
“With this weekend, for example, we get Main Street — protests, and carnage.”
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Another resident joked that a major benefit of Trump’s visit was the huge garda presence.
“Nobody’s house will be burgled,” he said.
He pointed at one of a number of drones being operated by plainclothes detectives from the back of their cars dotted across the remote back roads in and out of the village.
There were some obvious signs of money being made on the back of the Trump visit.
A leading accommodation website was reporting that 94% of places to stay in Co Clare were unavailable on Saturday night.
The rooms that were available came at a hefty price.
A renovated three-bed house — advertised as “15km from Amgen Open, Doonbeg” — was charging €1,200 a night.
A four-bed house in nearby Miltown Malbay was charging €870 a night, while a more modest four-bed holiday home in Kilrush was looking for €432.
Security remained tight through the weekend, with almost as many gardaí on duty as residents out and about and attending the village’s Fáilte Fest, a community-run music and food festival.
'Trump is not welcome here'
Among the protestors was Methodist minister Stephen Foster, from Galway.
He said: “As a follower of Jesus, everything that he stands for and acts upon is the exact opposite of what I believe in and what I stand for.
“His destruction of an aid programme that has enabled the deaths of hundreds of thousands of children, his war-mongering, his support for genocide, and his hate.”
He added: “Doonbeg has its own considerations here, but as a country, I think we need to send out a message that Trump is not welcome here.
"There are all sorts of economic reasons why we have the relationship with the United States, but in terms of the hate that he is promoting, there has to be a very loud and clear opposition.”
Former county footballer David Tubridy, whose family owns Tubridy’s pub and restaurant in Doonbeg, said the golf will have a massive effect on the village, in a good way.
“We already have a great relationship with the crowd at the golf links,” he said.
“The professionals, for example, were in here most evenings for a quiet bite to eat and drink, and nobody bothered them for autographs.
“The resort is also a huge supporter of community events and they know that if there’s anything we can do for them, we will.
"We have their back, they have ours."
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