Trump visit - Welcoming the president

WE may not like him; we may even loathe and despise him but Donald Trump remains the President of the United States and, considering the historic ties between our two countries, he should be given a cordial and respectful welcome to Ireland next month if, as expected, he visits here on June 6.

It is almost certain there will be protests, as there have been in the past.

It is 25 years – almost to the day – since President Ronald Reagan came to Ireland and, although he was personally liked, many of his foreign policies weren’t, leading to a number of protests, including a walk-out by some TDs when he addressed the Oireachtas on June 4, 1984.

Reagan was ready for it, declaring in his speech: “I can’t help but say I wonder if there is an awareness that there are countries in the world today where representatives would not have been able to speak as they have here,” he told the remaining Oireachtas members, drawing sustained applause.

Some opposition TDs are against the visit but refusing to facilitate it would be taken as an unwarranted insult by many Americans, including Irish-Americans.