Trump Family Gets Green Light for Irish Golf Resort Ballroom with Snail Catch

The Trump family received approval to build a 320-guest ballroom at their Irish golf resort, but they must first create a conservation plan for a rare snail species. Clare County Council approved the project with 14 conditions, including protection measures for the tiny Vertigo angustior snail.

DUBLIN – The Trump family has received the go-ahead from Irish authorities to construct a ballroom at their golf resort on Ireland’s western coastline, but there’s an unusual catch – they must develop a conservation strategy for a rare species of tiny snails living on the property.

Clare County Council granted approval Tuesday for the Trump International Golf Club in Doonbeg to move forward with their ballroom project, designed to accommodate 320 guests. Eric Trump previously described the planned facility to the Sunday Independent as what would be “the nicest ball­room in the country.”

The December application faced pushback from environmental advocates who demanded stronger protections for the Vertigo angustior snail, a rare species safeguarded under European Union habitat regulations designed to preserve endangered wildlife.

Local planners issued their approval with 14 stipulations, most notably requiring the golf resort to develop and submit a comprehensive plan for monitoring and protecting the snails before any construction begins.

The environmental group Friends of the Irish Environment had contested the proposal, contending that no new development permits should be issued until the resort complies with a court directive from the original 1999 course approval that mandated “maintenance or improving” conditions for the protected snail population.

However, several community organizations endorsed the ballroom project, highlighting the employment opportunities it could bring to the resort, which currently provides jobs for 300 workers during busy summer months. Many area residents have praised Trump for preserving their jobs when he purchased the struggling golf course in 2014.

Construction plans call for a 1,240 square meter ballroom, significantly smaller than the 8,360 square meter ballroom proposed for the White House. Trump lodged at the property, located 300 kilometers from Dublin, during his official Irish state visit in 2019.

When Trump assumed the presidency, he transferred the Trump Organization into a trust overseen by his children, though he continues as the beneficiary.

The golf resort faced a setback in 2020 when local authorities rejected their application to construct a seawall for coastal erosion protection, with planners expressing concerns about potential damage to the site’s sand dune ecosystem.