PRESIDENT OF IRELAND Catherine Connolly has said she told Donald trump that Irish people are opposed to the 'normalisation of war and genocide'.
In a statement following her meeting with the US president on Saturday, Ms Connolly said the pair spoke about the strong links between Ireland and America.
However, she said Ireland's history gave it a valuable insight into the importance of peace over conflict.
Her comments came amid protests in Ireland over Trump's two-day visit, which will today see him watch the final round of the Irish Open at his golf resort in Doonbeg, Co. Clare.
'Strong view'
Speaking after her meeting with Trump at Áras an Uachtaráin, President Connolly did not refer to any specific conflict.
However, she has previously been a vocal critic of Israel, which is currently engaged alongside the US in a war against Iran.
The president said she spoke to Trump about the 'existential threat' posed by conflict as well as climate change.
"As President of Ireland, I am very conscious that Ireland and the United States of America are bound by strong ties," she said.
"This is a deep connection, built over centuries, which allows us to speak openly to one another.
"We are in a world facing the existential threat posed by war and climate change, both of which are inextricably interlinked.
"I conveyed the strong view of the Irish people that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted.
"As a country which has suffered famine, colonisation and the violence of the Troubles, but also the importance of the long and challenging road to peace, I emphasised the unique insight which Irish people can bring to the resolution of conflict.
Trump and President Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin (Image: Tony Maxwell via Rollingnews.ie)"I highlighted to President Trump the strong commitment which the Irish people have to international relations, to the importance of the United Nations, including the pride which Irish people feel in Ireland's contribution to UN Peacekeeping since 1958, and to the obligations contained within Article 29 of our Constitution towards the peaceful resolution of international disputes.
"I assured President Trump that the Irish people would strongly support all those who have the strength to build a shared peace in all those parts of the world currently suffering from such horrific war and violence."
The president said the pair discussed the contribution of Irish emigrants to the US, the 25th Anniversary of September 11, the 250th Anniversary of American independence and the contribution made by the US to the peace process in the North.
She gifted Trump a St Brigid's Cross, a copy of the book Navigatio Sancti Brendani – The Voyage of St Brendan and the collected poems of Michael Longley, including his sonnet Ceasefire.
Protests
Meanwhile, Trump's visit saw protests around Ireland, including in Dublin as well as Shannon, where Air Force One landed and which is used by the US military.
There were also protests at Doonbeg, where Trump headed after his Dublin engagements, with one woman arrested at the course on Friday night and two more detained there on Saturday.
In the capital, around 10,000 people marched from the Garden of Remembrance to the Dáil to protest Trump's visit.
Demonstrators carried signs and banners saying the US president wasn't welcome in Ireland, with others referencing conflicts involving the US and the Epstein Files.
Sinn Féin, which was among the activists involved, said the Trump's administration had 'facilitated Israel's onslaught against the Palestinian people'.
"Ireland must always stand for peace, neutrality, international law and human rights — and against genocide, ethnic cleansing and the destruction of the Palestinian people," read a post on the party's Facebook page.
"Ireland's military neutrality and independent foreign policy must be protected."
Demonstrators march along O’Connell Street towards the Dáil in protest at Trump’s visit (Image: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie)Speaking to protestors, Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit said Trump 'represents everything that is dangerous and rotten in the world today'.
"He is up to his neck in enabling, arming and supporting the genocidal horrors that the Israeli regime has inflicted on the people of Gaza and continue to inflict on the people of Palestine," he added.
Party colleague Paul Murphy condemned Taoiseach Micheál Martin for his failure to challenge Trump at the leaders' meeting at Farmleigh on Saturday morning.
"Trump has armed and continues to arm Israel's genocide to the teeth, but when asked about Gaza the Taoiseach's response was an abject failure to challenge Trump," said the TD for Dublin South-West.
"The Taoiseach failed to utter a single word of condemnation or even concern about US actions.
"Instead the Taoiseach spoke in support of Trump's so-called 20-point peace plan for Gaza that is to be implemented by a board with Trump as President and including the likes of Tony Blair, Jared Kushner and Marco Rubio.
"These are self-appointed colonial viceroys, appointed without anything resembling a democratic process and without any consultation with the people of Gaza.
"It's obvious they intend to carve up Gaza to serve Israel's interests and enrich themselves and their cronies. Shame on the Taoiseach for failing to challenge Trump and for endorsing this modern colonialism."
When asked at Farmleigh about the protest in Dublin, which got underway after Trump had left the capital, he said he didn't know there was one.
"It can't be a very big one because we've been all over Ireland today already," he said, adding: "I have seen no protests."
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