Trump’s Irish golf resort creates economic boom, stirs friction in Doonbeg

Trump’s Irish golf resort creates economic boom, stirs friction in Doonbeg JILL LAWLESS DOONBEG, IRELAND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO Open this photo in gallery: A protester wears sunglasses and sits in front of a poster depicting U.S. President Donald Trump during his visit to the Irish Open at the Trump International Golf Links course in Doonbeg, Ireland, Sept. 13. KIN CHEUNG/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Some people in Ireland can’t wait for U.S. President Donald Trump’s weekend visit, with its tight security and political tensions, to be over. But one corner of the country has a lot of time for the president, whose Irish golf resort has brought jobs, tourists and the international spotlight to the village of Doonbeg on the country’s boggy, wind-lashed Atlantic coast. Even in Doonbeg, though, Trump has his opponents, who have staged protests and even enlisted tiny snails to try to block his golf course plans. Snails snag Trump’s ballroom plan Trump spent much of Saturday and Sunday here, attending the Irish Open at the Trump International Golf Links. Since his organization bought the then-financially struggling resort in 2014. It has been an economic boon for the region, but also a source of friction. The latest flashpoint is Trump’s planned ballroom – not the one at the White House, but a 320-capacity venue at the golf resort. A group of environmentalists has tried to block construction, saying it will harm tiny narrow-mouthed whorl snails that live in the area and are protected under European Union rules. After several years of wrangling, Clare County Council approved the ballroom in February, on condition Trump’s Irish company draws up a plan to monitor and manage the snails. The company, which says construction will not harm the miniature mollusks, is seeking to alter the conditions, while a lone Irish objector with a history of blocking development projects has launched a new appeal to overturn planning permission. A final decision on all of that is pending. Trump calls for Irish reunification during visit to his Doonbeg golf course Many local organizations supported the planning application, and some in Doonbeg see the environmental complaint as opportunistic. Local councillor Rita McInerney said that “much of the objection came from people who simply wanted to object to what Trump was…