DUBLIN — President Donald Trump met with Ireland’s leaders Saturday during a visit that combined official talks on trade and trans-Atlantic relations with an appearance at a professional golf tournament held at his resort on Ireland’s Atlantic coast. Trump met President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin, the presidential residence in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, before holding separate talks with Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Farmleigh, a government guesthouse. He was also scheduled to meet U.S. and Irish business leaders at the U.S. ambassador’s residence. The president then planned to travel across the country to Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, County Clare, to watch the Irish Open. Ireland’s Shane Lowry was near the top of the leaderboard midway through the tournament. The meetings came as Ireland sought to preserve close economic and cultural ties with the United States while navigating disagreements over trade and foreign policy. Martin said before Trump’s arrival that he wanted to discuss issues of “mutual interest” and reaffirm the two countries’ longstanding economic, cultural and personal connections. Connolly, a left-wing politician and supporter of the Palestinian cause, had protested Trump’s 2019 visit to Ireland. She has previously criticized U.S. policy in the Middle East and called Trump a “bully.” Ireland’s presidency is primarily ceremonial, while the taoiseach leads the government. At the presidential residence, Connolly greeted Trump at the end of a red carpet. The two leaders shook hands and spoke briefly before going inside. Trump later emerged to salute as an Irish military band played the U.S. national anthem and he inspected an honor guard. Connolly joined him for introductions of the U.S. and Irish delegations before the leaders resumed private discussions. The visit caused significant security restrictions in Dublin, including a police cordon around the 1,750-acre Phoenix Park. Some residents objected to the disruption and to the prominence given to a trip centered in part on Trump’s golf business. “He’s causing mayhem in this city because he wants to go down to Doonbeg and play golf,” taxi driver Christopher Fox said. “The world’s in turmoil and this fella’s down playing golf.” Mina Petrovski, a university student, said Trump’s views on women, immigrants and minority communities were “abhorrent” and criticized the Irish government for welcoming him. Left-leaning opposition parties, anti-military groups, pro-Palestinian organizations and environmental activists planned demonstrations in Dublin during the visit. Trump’s son Eric Trump defended the family’s relationship with the area around Doonbeg in an interview with Irish broadcaster RTÉ. He said the resort was the region’s largest employer and urged critics to speak with residents and business owners about the family’s investment. The Irish Open is the second European Tour event this year held at a Trump property. The Nexo Championship took place last month at his course in Aberdeen, Scotland. Trump’s clubs in Doral, Florida, and Bedminster, New Jersey, have also hosted professional golf events. Trump arrived in Ireland after taking part in events marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. His Ireland trip follows a broader pattern of combining presidential travel with visits to sporting events and properties owned by his family business.