US President Donald Trump is to arrive in Ireland on June 5th as part of a three-day visit to his Doonbeg resort.
It has been confirmed to the Irish Examiner that the controversial President is to fly into Shannon Airport, which is now a likely venue for a meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
The White House confirmed the visit, saying Mr Trump and First Lady Melania Trump had accepted the invitation of the Taoiseach to visit Ireland while they are in Europe for a state visit to the UK.
A considerable amount of planning has already been undertaken by both US and Irish officials and the airport is now seen as the preferred location for a private meeting between the two leaders.
It has been suggested that Shannon's VIP Presidential Suite will be used to facilitate the meeting.
The airport has already been inspected by Secret Service and Garda officers and has been deemed suitable from a security standpoint.
Irish Government officials said they would not comment on the matter, but privately said there would be a comment once word had come from Washington.
Mr Trump's near 48-hour stay in Co Clare will not have the status of a formal full state visit which allows a far greater deal of flexibility in terms of arranging a meeting with Mr Varadkar.
It is understood that Mr Trump will arrive into Shannon on June 5th and depart for the US again on June 7th.
He will use his golf resort in nearby Doonbeg in west Co Clare as a base over the three days.
The Irish Times has reported that Mr Trump will fly from Shannon to France for the D-Day commemorations on June 6th before returning later that day.
Speaking during the St Patrick's Day engagements in March, Mr Trump said he intended to visit Ireland during 2019.
“I will be coming at some point this year,” he said in the Oval Office sitting beside the Taoiseach.
"I missed it last year, and I would have loved to have been there. It’s a special place and I have a very warm spot for Doonbeg, I will tell you that. It is just a great place."
The much-maligned President had been scheduled to visit Ireland last November after the armistice centenary commemorations but the trip was ultimately postponed.
Opposition TDs and civic activists have promised to protest near Doonbeg during the visit.
