Over 2,000 Personnel To Be Deployed Across Clare For Trump Visit Security

Over 2,000 personnel will be deployed across Clare for the visit of US President Donald Trump tomorrow, in one of the biggest security operations ever seen here.

The high-profile visit begins tomorrow, when the president and his wife land in Shannon Airport, before making their way to Doonbeg to his luxury golf resort.

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Over 1,500 uniformed Gardaí will be deployed throughout the Trump visit, and they will be joined by an additional 500 personnel including armed units, mounted officers and water unit staff.

President Trump and his wife Melania are expected to touch down in Shannon Airport tomorrow afternoon where he will meet Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, before travelling to Doonbeg.

Traffic restrictions are already in place, with the comprehensive security operation stepped up from last evening.

This includes an outer cordon around Doonbeg, and a tighter inner cordon closer to the Trump resort. There are additional security measures, too, in Shannon and Gardaí are advising of rolling road closures at times over the coming days.

However, they insist the disruption will be kept to a minimum.

The estimated cost of the overall operation is €10 million, and Clare’s Chief Superintendent Michael Gubbins says it’s one of the biggest this county has ever seen.

Protests will be held in Dublin, Galway, Belfast and in Shannon this week, to coincide with the Presidential visit.

In Clare, a peace camp is to be setup near the Airport over the coming days, and Gardaí have liaised with those who have been planning for the event.

Officers say they have planned for any issues that may arise, but they expect the demonstrations to be peaceful.

Clare Fine Gael Jr. Minister Pat Breen is hopeful that these demonstrations won’t distract from the hoped-for tourism boost that will come as a spin-off from the Trump visit.

In Doonbeg, while Trump International Golf Links and Hotel is closed to the public for the duration of the visit, staff there are making sure everything is in ship shape for the arrival of their boss.

General Manager of Trump Doonbeg Joe Russell says they’re ready to roll out the red carpet:

Meanwhile, those sitting their Leaving and Junior Cert exams from tomorrow morning – particularly in the Doonbeg and Shannon areas – are advised to leave in plenty of time to ensure they get to their exams.

The traffic plan in full is available here.