With free beers, Trump brothers thank devoted Irish village
Junior Trump and Eric Trump
When Eric and DonaldTrump, Jr. arrived in the one corner of Ireland celebrating their father's first visit as USpresident, they had one question for the locals: "Does Doonbeg loveTrump?"
Unlike the protests that greetedTrumpin London this week, there were no inflatable blimps depicting him as a baby or large statues of him sitting on a golden lavatory, trousers around his ankles, when the president visited the tinyIrishvillage.
Instead, Doonbeg's residents decked the streets in American flags and stars and stripes bunting, creditingTrumpwith securing their livelihoods when in 2014 he bought the nearby golf resort where he will spend the next two nights.
Amid a celebratory street party ofIrishdancing,Trump's two sons went from pub to pub posing for selfies with kids, shaking hands and buying drinks for all the patrons.
"Everywhere we look all we see is American flags withIrishflags. That's a beautiful thing,It's so nice to see sothankyou," EricTrumptold cheering crowds as he served pints from behind the bar at Tubridy's, one of five pubs thebrothersvisited in the space of an hour.
"God bless DonaldTrump," was the response from a satisfied customer at one of the stops while another stood behind the pair's car waving aTrumpflag as their motorcade returned to the five-star hotel.
While the main protest forTrump'sIrishvisit is planned for Dublin on Thursday, on Wednesday it was the adoring locals in Doonbeg who outnumbered the demonstrators that greeted the USpresident upon his arrival at Shannon Airport.
"I was absolutely delighted. I got to shake EricTrump's hand twice," said Martin Doyle, 28, a barman from neighbouring Limerick, draped in an American flag and aTrumpsweatshirt.
"There is too much negativity in the grand scheme of things, there are a lot of people who wouldn't admit supporting Trump."