Donald Trump has sent a message to July 4th guests at the US embassy in Dublin that he is considering descending upon us for the Irish Open in just 10 weeks’ time. His ambassador reckons the chances of a visit are better than 50-50. Ed Walsh has hinted that, while here, the American president might sally on up to Dublin and jab a ceremonial shovel in the ground for the construction of his country’s new embassy. No doubt he’ll be bringing his own bucket of gold paint.

Anticipation is fizzing in Doonbeg as the clock ticks down to the golf tournament at Trump International on the glorious Clare coast. There’ll be dancing leprechauns and lepping politicians itching to welcome him at the venue he bought out of receivership. The optics should be pure gold back home in the rust belt as the midterm elections loom.

“I think the Irish love Trump,” the warmonger modestly opined in the White House last year. “We won the Irish with a tremendous amount of [their] vote.”

The mute response of Ireland’s golfing community to the threat of a visit by this man – one of the most harmful figures on the planet – is antithetical to the footballing community’s refusal to countenance Israel playing on Irish soil. Shamrock Rovers captain Pico Lopes, who has delighted us with his exploits in Cape Verde’s shirt at the World Cup, told the FAI in a letter that the loss of tens of thousands of Palestinian lives had “to take precedence over any sporting consideration”.

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