THE GARDA SECURITY operation to protect US President Donald Trump’s two-day visit to Dublin and Clare cost the force an estimated €30 million.

Commissioner Justin Kelly gave the figure as he was appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today.

Kelly was answering questions from TDs around the collection of money from events which netted the garda organisation €7 million. This is paid to the force for so-called “non-public duty” which is paid by the organisers. 

No such classification was given for the Trump visit as it was, Kelly said, a mission to protect the US president who also attended the Irish Open Golf Tournament at his resort in Doonbeg after spending a morning in Dublin city. 

The Trump visit, dubbed Operation Far Sunrise by garda managers, involved multiple locations across Dublin and Clare.  

“We weren’t down there to police a golfing event. We were down there to protect the President of the United States.

“We haven’t got the final figures. As obviously, it’s only recent. It’s finished relatively recently. What we estimated that would be around €30 million – the full cost of that,” he said. 

Kelly had declared the visit of the US president an “extraordinary event” due to the scale of the policing operation.

As revealed by The Journal US officials were scrambling to find hotel rooms for a potential entourage of 1,000 people, many of whom were US security officers. 

The “extraordinary event” status meant that garda leave was cancelled, rest days were changed and training halted to free up gardaí to participate in the policing plan.

More than 25,000 meals were made for gardaí during the event, and there were also large scale overtime payments. 

Sources said gardaí were deployed across County Clare with approximately 2,400 on duty by day and 900 at night securing locations over a four- to five-day period in the county.

The numbers for Dublin have not been disclosed, but it is understood to also be in the thousands.

There was criticism from the Garda Representative Association before the event when its members were told they would have to find their own accommodation and claim the cost of it back from the force.