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Doonbeg is ready to accept the outcome of the US elections and a peaceful transition to Ballina, Co Mayo, as Ireland’s most connected place to the White House.
Residents of the village of West Clare, the location of President Donald Trump’s Irish golf course and the ancestral home of his Vice President Mike Pence, value Trump’s investment as a local employer in the area more than the interest his presidency brought to their community.
Now, with the presumed election of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States, attention will inevitably turn to the Democrat’s family ties to Mayo, where one of his great-grandparents, Edward Blewitt, and Carlingford, Co Louth, came from. where another, James Finnegan, went in 1850.
“It’s absolutely great to spread the word,” said Pence’s cousin Hugh McNally, the owner of the Morrissey pub in Doonbeg, who met Trump and Pence on his recent visits to Co Clare.
“You had Moneygall with Obama, Doonbeg with Trump and Pence, and Biden with Louth and Mayo. It just reiterates the strong connection between Ireland and the US, let it continue for a long time. “
Investment vs policies
In an area with limited economic prospects, Trump’s 2014 purchase of the golf resort, his employment of 300 locals (pre-Covid restrictions), and his commitment to expand the resort with € 50 million mean much more to residents. Doonbeg villagers than their presidency or policies.
Locals are more concerned about a sea barrier being built to protect the golf course and Trump’s future Atlantic investment than the outcome of the Pennsylvania vote.
“If he doesn’t get re-elected, the whole place will be very disappointed to the Trump family because they have been such great supporters to us over the years. On a personal level, I’ll be disappointed in Mike Pence, knowing the guy and the sacrifices he has made, “said McNally.
Vice President Mike Pence in Doonbeg in September 2019 to eat with family members, including his sister Anne Pence Poynter (left), mother Nancy Pence Fritsch, Morrissey owner Hugh McNally, and second lady Karen Pence (right). Photograph: Jacob King / PA
The owner of the Doonbeg pub, Tommy Comerford, said that the locals had no interest in American politics and that “we did not care about anything to the chosen ones;
‘Good for tourism’
A Biden President will be good for Mayo and Louth, and Ireland in general, he said, given Ireland’s dependence on US investment.
“We will appreciate you becoming president of the United States. We don’t want to have any animosity between Doonbeg and Ballina. If he becomes president, luckier for them, ”Comerford said.
Another publican, Tommy Tubridy, said he hoped the Biden presidency would bring a lot of publicity to Mayo and Louth given the attention Trump and Pence gave Doonbeg.
“If Mr. Biden wins, it will be very good for tourism in May,” he said.
Rita McInerney, a local businesswoman, said she didn’t care if the social media abuse she and others in Doonbeg received because of their public support for the investor Trump, rather than that President Trump (or his policies) could be stopped. now.
“You don’t have to agree with everyone you do business with,” he said.
McNally hopes to see Trump again in Doonbeg after being kicked out, but perhaps as a golfer rather than a businessman given that his sons are “extremely hands-on” at the resort.
“Hopefully he can enjoy the golf course a little more now.”
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