Irish people mark Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington DC: ‘We want to be part of history… I think he’s class, he gets stuff done’

”We do ‘big’ crazy here, you guys do ‘little’ crazy in Ireland,” a passer-by informs me as I cross Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol in Washington.

Surrounded by street vendors selling jumpers with “Daddy’s Home” and MAGA hats, bible groups eating pizza, tourists in matching silver bomber jackets, blacked-out SUVs, security guards and locals going about their business, I couldn’t help but laugh.

The US is going large and it’s intoxicating.

In the midst of the super-sized madness, security fences, frozen lakes and people from every corner of the earth, I met two Irish people, Mary Bolton (55) and her son Gareth (25), from Derry.

“We’re here for the inauguration. We want to be part of history,” Ms Bolton said.

It turned out we were on the same flight to the US and we joked at how we didn’t spot an army of MAGA hats on the plane.

“There’s not much support for him back home,” she said. “But I think he’s class. He gets stuff done. I’m a baker and businessperson and I love how he’s a businessman. We need someone like him in Ireland.

“I was here when I was 19,” she added, pointing to the Capitol, which is home to the US Congress.

Gareth Bolton, Barbara McCarthy, Mary Bolton

“I was over visiting friends in Ohio and they had connections in DC. So we went to the White House. I saw the Rose Garden, shook hands with Ronald Reagan and got a tour.

“We don’t have passes for the inauguration, but it’s happening inside now because of the cold, so we wouldn’t have got in anyway,” Gareth said.

“The arena only fits 20,000 and 200,000 want to go. But that’s OK, we’re just soaking up the atmosphere around the city.”

Just around the corner in the Irish pub Kelly’s, accountant Tony Dowling was not as enamoured by Trump. “It’ll be total chaos when he comes in,” he said.

“It was chaos when he was here, then it was grand and now it will be chaos again.”

Barbara McCarthy with accountant Tony Dowling in Washington DC. Photo: Barbara McCarthy

Despite his Dublin accent, Tony, who is in his 70s, has not been back to Ireland since 1988. “But I support Leinster and Ireland rugby. I watch it here,” he said. “Trump doesn’t care about Washington. We never see him around the city. He doesn’t do walkabouts or visit local businesses.

“He never does anything around here. He’s always off in Mar a Lago, playing golf.”

Kelly’s pub owner Brendan Kelly, whose dad is Irish-born, said: “I keep out of politics.” But he will benefit from the new administration, adding: “When someone new comes in, you get new customers, which is always good.”

His views were echoed by Adam Conway (31), who manages Kirwans on the Wharf restaurant and pub.

“Things are a lot calmer around the city compared to 2021, when Trump fans stormed the Capitol on January 6. It was mad. Thankfully it’s not as hectic this time,” he said.

Mr Conway is from Bray, Co Wicklow, and has been managing Kirwans for seven years.

Jack Meehan, Adam Conway

Jack Meehan (left) from Derry, who works at Kirwans on the Wharf restaurant and pub in Washington DC, and Adam Conway, who manages the establishment. Photo: Barbara McCarthy

“We get a lot of events here and people coming in who work across government departments. We’re excited about the new people coming to Washington. It’s always very interesting,” he said.

Jack Meehan (24) is from Derry city and also works at Kirwans. He said: “Washington is so much better than home. You make more money working in hospitality, even though it is expensive here. If I was at home, I’d be living with my mother and making no tips.”

When asked about Trump, he said: “I think Donald Trump is quite funny. I don’t agree with everything he says, but he’s larger than life and Americans like that kind of thing.”

Mr Meehan has been in Washington for the last 13 months and has no desire to leave.

“The energy is amazing. It’s all quite entertaining. People aren’t afraid to talk politics here, it’s their job, which is great,” he said.

“A man in the bar was giving out about all the Trump supporters with their MAGA hats just there.”

He’s right about the politics – no one is afraid of talking on the subject in Washington. I chatted to a man who accused Trump of being a “selfish moron” and Elon Musk of being an “evil psychopath”. Beside him, another customer him said Trump is the “second coming of the Lord”.

I like to think I’m somewhere between the two. The last time I was in Washington, in 2017 for Trump’s first inauguration, I attended an Irish event, but there was nothing similar planned this year.

Capitol Building Washington DC

I contacted well-known members of the Irish community, including Ciarán Staunton, who is based in New York.

Ciarán and Orlaith Staunton were honoured for their work on the End Sepsis campaign, which they established following the death of their son Rory in 2012. Mr Staunton said the new H-1B visa could be good news for Irish people. “The H-1B visa programme would allow the hiring of highly skilled workers from abroad, it could fuel economic growth and create jobs for Irish people – it could be big,” he said.

In the meantime, freezing temperatures (the inauguration itself has been moved indoors), tens of thousands of security staff and a huge administrative team will help usher in the 47th president of the United States.

We’re all in for a hell of a ride.