Trump golf trip could be costliest sporting event in Irish history

Fore! That’ll cost €20M

Donald Trump is due to visit Ireland, where he is expected to turn the sod on the site of a new US Embassy, meet the Taoiseach and play golf at his Doonbeg hotel.

As with all visiting heads of state, Irish taxpayers foot the security bill. Given his status as US President and a series of assassination attempts against him, some 4,000 gardaí are expected to be drafted in, pushing the operation to an estimated €20 million.

Owen Reidy, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, called the visit “tragic” and said the money could be better spent.

"It’s going to be the highest cost for security for any sporting event in our history. But on a serious note, he has been the subject of a couple of assassination attempts. The risk is high and they have to mitigate the risk."

Owen Reidy, ICTU

Reidy said he did not expect mass protests given the scale of the security operation, though he warned “there certainly will be protests”. The visit adds to a growing debate over the cost of hosting the president, one of many stories on the cost-of-living squeeze facing Irish households.