Taoiseach would have ‘no issue’ with Donald Trump addressing Dáil
James Cox
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he would have "no issue" with US president Donald Trump addressing the Dáil when he visits Ireland.
Speaking in New York, where he was visiting for the UN General Assembly, Mr Martin said "personally" he would have no issue with Mr Trump addressing the Dáil.
The Ryder Cup, which is currenty taking place in Bethpage Black golf course in New York, is due to be held in Adare Manor in Co Limerick in 2027, and Mr Trump may well decide to attend.
His interest in golf is well known and he was at the first day of this year's Ryder Cup.
Mr Trump may also be in Ireland next year as the 2026 Irish Open will take place in his Doonbeg resort in 2026.
Mr Martin said an address to the Oireachtas "would depend", adding “there would probably be different views”.
He said: "We don’t dictate the content of a speech of anybody who is invited to speak to the Oireachtas. But we will jump those hurdles when we come to them.
“The last couple of speeches we had there, some went on far too long. Previous times you might have had two or three speeches when a dignitary came. Now it is 10 or 11. It is not the occasion it once was, that would be a concern of mine.
“There has to be common sense in how these things are handled at parliamentary level but that’s a matter for the Ceann Comhairle.”
Asked about protest from political parties, Mr Martin said: "That’s realpolitik. People are going to have different views and they are going to protest. It is going to happen, it happened in the UK, there were protests. You have to look at what strategically the objective is.”
