Fionnbharr RodgersPredictably, President Trump’s visit to London has been met with as much protestation as his last. His arrival in Ireland hasn’t been met with the usual degree of celebration that US presidents could expect on the Emerald Isle. But there’s one notable exception.
Doonbeg, a fairly typical Irish village of pubs and churches situated on the coast of County Clare, has been prepped for Trump’s visit by the locals as much as by the US Secret Service.
Today Trump flew directly from Britain to Shannon Airport, where he was greeted by Leo Varadkar. He is expected to take a day trip to France for the D-Day commemorations on Thursday, before flying back to Ireland and playing a round of golf at The Lodge, the golf resort in Doonbeg which he bought for €15 million in 2014.
Not only has golf been a key factor of Trump’s presidency, the excessive hours he has spent on various courses at the expense of the American taxpayer being a much discussed issue, but it is the reason why Doonbeg is welcoming him with such enthusiasm.
On top of the cost of purchase there is also a further €10 million planned by Trump International, to preserve the area against coastal erosion, and €38 million to build new developments which would roughly double the size of the resort. There are currently 300 people employed by the resort, and one local resident estimated that it facilitated €8 million for the area economy through not only pay, but also money generated for local business. These are no small sums for a part of the country largely ignored by central government.
It should be considered that Trump’s business practices have previously made him a pariah to the people of Ayrshire in Scotland, for the manner in which he went about buying his the land for his resort there. Further, the people of Doonbeg are ambivalent to his politics and the policies of his administration; they are simply pleased to see some money flowing into their own pockets and a bit of interest generated for the local area which, it must be said, is one of the most stunning parts of the world.
Protests aside, it is anticipated that media footage of Trump’s visit will be advertisement of the scenery and surroundings, the like of which Fáilte Ireland could not dream of funding.
Recent elections have not shown Clare to be any great exception to the national rule; here meaning there is no reason to suspect significant sympathy with the sort of politics that Trump avows. Not only was there a strong showing for the ‘Yes’ votes in recent liberalizing referendums on equal marriage, abortion, and divorce, but also for President Michael D. Higgins’s re-election last year.
Trump’s visit to Doonbeg should be closely watched as an example of how good will is given to anyone who fills the void with which rural communities have long lived. This has implications for any country that has seen a surge in support for populism, and for the far right.
This should also be carefully observed in Northern Ireland where the gap between East and West is just as stark as it is in the South, if not more so. This gap is perhaps most clearly demonstrated by viewing a side-by-side comparison of a northern rail map from the time of partition, and now.
In 1921 a person would never have found themselves more than five miles away from a railway station. Now there are 54 stations in the North, 12 of which are outside County Antrim, and only two of which are in areas with a nationalist majority. It is difficult not to view this within the prism of the lasting legacy of sectarianism.
Anyone familiar with Translink will sympathise how poor to the point of bizarre are the services it offers for rural areas. For example, the only method of getting from Newry to Enniskillen is via Belfast, requiring a 40-mile cross-country dander in the opposite direction.
There are also questions to be aimed at the DUP, as well as their Conservative partners, when one considers their recent proposal to build a bridge to Scotland.The claim of my last article that they are a single issue party, frantically focused on the union, is best vindicated by the fact that they would build a bridge to Scotland before a railway to Fermanagh.
If the warm welcome President Trump can expect in Doonbeg is anything to go by, you can receive a lot of respect by making an effort when nobody else seems to be making one.
