US President Donald Trump may visit Ireland in September during the Irish Open golf tournament, US Ambassador to Ireland Edward Walsh has said.
The tournament is being hosted for the first time at the Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg in Co Clare.
Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris said he is not aware of any official confirmation received by the State about a visit from Mr Trump.
He said there has been a lot of speculation over whether the US president will visit Ireland.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, he said: "I think that speculation probably heightened when it was revealed that the Irish Open, the Golf was going to take place in Doonbeg next September."
Mr Harris said he heard the US ambassador's comments that Mr Trump may visit for the Irish Open in September, but he is not aware of any official confirmation received by the State or Government about that, but added that it is "a live possibility".
"And if president Trump chooses to visit, he will be welcome as any other US president has been.
"Because it is really important that we continue to engage," he said.
Mr Trump last made an official visit to Ireland as president in 2019 when he stayed at the Trump International Golf Club in Doonbeg.
The Irish Open will be held from 10-13 September at the resort that Mr Trump bought in 2014.
"We do have a potential presidential visit at the Irish Open in September," Mr Walsh told an American Chamber of Commerce Ireland event in Dublin.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin will meet Mr Trump at the White House next month during the annual Saint Patrick's Day event in Washington.
Earlier this month, Mr Martin said the meeting would be "an opportunity to celebrate the warm and historic friendship between the US and Ireland".
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, he added that he fully supported the Taoiseach going to the White House next month.
The Tánaiste said it was important for Ireland to stay true to its values, and diplomacy was about engaging even when you have points of disagreement.
While the visit is a firm annual tradition, the deteriorating relations between the European Union and President Trump's government, in addition to his foreign and domestic policies, have led to growing calls for Ireland not to attend this year's event.
