US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump will arrive in Ireland on 5 June, the White House has confirmed.
Trump’s visit to Ireland has been in the works for some time but the White House had not confirmed any details of the visit until this evening.
Trump is also due to visit the UK and France at the start of June for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings on 6 June.
The US President will meet with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Shannon on 5 June
It is expected that he will stay at his Doonbeg resort in Co Clare.
In a statement, the White House said:
President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have accepted the invitation of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of Ireland to visit Ireland while they are in Europe for a state visit to the United Kingdom and for events in the United Kingdom and France to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The President and Taoiseach will hold a bilateral meeting in Shannon on 5 June.
The Irish government has not yet officially commented on Trump’s visit, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar saying last Thursday that confirmation had to come first from the White House.
The Taoiseach did however say that a protests in response to Trump’s visit “is allowed and is welcomed”.
Trump’s impending visit had already prompted increased security at Shannon Airport, with gardaí deployed at a road security box monitoring traffic on a 24-hour basis.
The visit has caused a scramble for the estimated 600 rooms that would be needed for the arrival of the president, his entourage and press.
It led to concerns that the visit may not go ahead as planned due to the amount of accomodation required and there were even suggestions that Secret Service vehicles could encounter difficulties on smaller roads in the area.
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