Trump visits Ireland amid protests

DUBLIN - US president Donald Trump arrived in Ireland on Wednesday afternoon following a three-day state visit to Britain, reported local media RTE.

This is the first official visit ever paid by Trump to Ireland after he became the US president, said the report.

Local TV channel footage showed that the US president's plane Air Force One arrived at Shannon Airport at about 4:50 pm local time.

Trump and his wife Melania Trump were greeted by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the airport which is located at Ireland's western coastal area along the Atlantic Ocean.

A "peace camp" was set up outside Shannon Airport where people protested against Trump's visit to Ireland mainly over climate change issues.

A large-scale protest is also planned in the Irish capital Dublin on Thursday.

Due to the planned protests against Trump, over 1,500 police personnel have been deployed in County Clare where Shannon Airport and Doonbeg are located, reported local media.

According to the local media reports, Trump will hold a meeting with Varadkar at the airport and topics of the meeting will include Brexit, peace process in Northern Ireland, trade and visa issues between the two countries.

After the talk, Trump will travel by helicopter to Doonbeg, a small village along the western coastal area of Ireland where Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland, a property bought by Trump in early 2014, is located.

He will stay at his golf resort for the first night and then fly to France on Thursday for the D-Day commemoration before returning to his Doonbeg resort where a dinner will be held in his honor later that evening.