Donald Trump promises to invest €45m as he lands in Ireland

BILLIONAIRE Donal Trump has pledged to invest up to €45m and create "hundreds of jobs" at his Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Ireland at Doonbeg in Co Clare.

He said his new acquisition is going to be "truly iconic" because he doesn't have "enough time left" to do the "boring" things.

The property mogul is visiting his €15m investment in Co Clare for the first time today and he revealed he's hoping to "sneak out" later this evening and play a few holes.

He said by the time he's finished bringing the Doonbeg resort up to what it should be, he will have doubled or tripled his initial investment.

He also said he'll be looking for other investments in which to invest his money in Ireland.

"Ireland is a special place and I love Ireland and I love the country and it was an opportunity that was presented to us but I had been looking at this property for a long time," he said.

But he said the work he carries out on the coarse including efforts to protect it from further coastal erosion will be environmentally sensitive.

"We've had tremendous help from everyone and I appreciate that all these officials are here because we're all going to work together to make this something very special," he said.

Mr Trump, who is accompanied by his sons Don and Eric and his daughter Ivanka, was greeted by Finance Minister Michael Noonan, Clare Mayor Joe Arkins, Clare county manager Tom Coughlan and Shannon Airport Authority chairprerson Rose Hynes after his private jet, a Boeing 757 emblazoned with the Trump logo in gold lettering touched down at 8.02am.

He said he will spend three days in Co Clare and will be taking a very hands-on approach to the project.

"It's only developments that are going to be iconic that I'm interested in. I don't have enough time left to do the boring things but it's going to be truly iconic and something Ireland will be extremely proud of," he said.

The tycoon has already secured the backing of Clare Co Council to carry out work in the protected dunes and to shore up the 14th green on the Doonbeg course.

The Trump organisation had been served with a stop-work order earlier last month after lorry-loads of rock was brought in to repair some of the damage caused to the course by winter's storms.

Work had also been halted because of the presence of the narrow-mouth whorl snail or angustior vertigo on the course.

Following talks with the Trump organisation and technical experts brought in, Clare County Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service have agreed a programme of works.

"We will be very protective of it but at the same time we want to work together with certain environmental people and as you know, we've already got lots of approval," he added.