Donald Trump to visit Ireland in November

By Jack Hardy, Press Association

US President Donald Trump will be heading to Ireland in November, the White House has announced.

Mr Trump plans to make a "brief" visit to the country as part of a wider trip to Europe to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War.

A statement from the White House press secretary said he hoped to "renew the deep and historic ties" between the two countries.

The president is also due to travel to Paris for Armistice Day commemorations on November 11, where he will "highlight the sacrifices that Americans have made, not only during World War I but also in the century since, in the name of liberty".

It is the first time that Mr Trump has visited Ireland since he entered the White House at the start of 2017.

Ireland's foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney wrote on Twitter that the president is "always welcome in Ireland" and maintaining their shared ties is a "top priority".

President Trump will visit Ireland in November. The US President is always welcome in Ireland. Our two countries have such strong historic, economic, cultural and family ties. Maintaining those connections is always a top priority 🇺🇸🇮🇪🇪🇺

— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) August 31, 2018

He added: "We understand that President Trump will stop in Ireland for a brief visit on his way to or from the Armistice commemorations in Paris on November 11th."

It follows a meeting between the president and Irish premier Leo Varadkar at the White House in March, when the trip was first floated.

Asked by reporters if he intended to visit, he said: "I will. I love it, I love it.

"I have property there and I might not get to see it again, but I will."

Mr Trump, who owns a golf course at Doonbeg in Co Clare, said at the time that he planned to go to the border as part of the visit.

On the Irish border, Mr Trump said: "That is an interesting border also, we have two interesting borders," an apparent allusion to the US/Mexico border where he wants to build a wall.

Mr Trump's last major trip to Ireland came soon after he bought the golf club.

He touched down at Shannon airport in his own private plane in May 2014, with officials rolling out a red carpet to greet him.

He had secured the site in the west of Ireland after losing a legal challenge to block an offshore wind farm project within sight of his Scottish golf resort.