Donald Trump has a surprisingly high number of Irish connections in his White House staff – here are his green picks

DONALD Trump is set to take up office in the White House tomorrow and his Irish crew will ensure that it’s green on the inside.

The President-Elect owns a little slice of the Emerald Isle in Doonbeg, Co Clare, and his right-hand man Mike Pence has links to the coastal village.

His counselor Kellyanne Conway also comes from Irish stock, as does his controversial chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Trump’s children - Donald Trump Jr, 39, Eric Trump, 33, and their 35-year-old Ivanka - similarly claim links to the country through their beloved Irish nanny, Dorothy Curry.

Donald Jr said of their beloved minder during a trip in 2014: “There’s not a direct lineage tie but in our hearts there certainly is.

“The woman who raised us was Irish. Dorothy Curry from Co Cavan. We spent a lot of time here growing up and she’s an amazing woman.

“When she stopped raising us and we were out of the house, she continued on and has worked in our family for over 30 years.

The President-elect, 70, who also has children Tiffany, 23, and Barron, 10, is also clearly a big fan of the land of saints and scholars, citing the people for his reason for investing in Doonbeg.

He said: “I love Irish people. They have a special way about them. I’ll give you an example. In the early 90s I got into serious trouble but I never went into bankruptcy. I toughed it out and never went and came back stronger.

"First of all the recovery in Ireland has already started. You are coming back strong. I made a deal at the right time and it helped Ireland."

Here we look at the other people who link Ireland to the White House....

MIKE PENCE (Vice President)

The second most important man in Washington comes from a long line of Irish Catholic Democrats.

Like outgoing Vice President Joe Biden, Mr Pence has strong ties to the old sod. His great-grandmother came from Doonbeg, Co Clare, home to Trump’s Irish golf resort.

Mr Pence’s grandfather, Richard Michael Cawley, emigrated to the US from Tubercurry, Co Sligo.

He passed through the immigration station at Ellis Island in New York on April 11th, 1923.

Growing up, Mr Pence was reportedly close to his grandfather, who worked as a bus driver in Chicago.

The Republican governor, his wife Karen and their three children visited Ireland in August 2013, nine months before Mr Trump bought Doonbeg golf resort.

On their visit, the Pences visited the house where Mr Pence’s great-grandfather, James Maloney, was born, and they met his grandmother’s first cousin, then 92-year-old Patrick Moloney.

He also visited Morrissey’s Pub in Doonbeg, which was apparently operated by family members.

STEVE BANNON(Chief Strategist)

Possibly Trump’s most controversial appointment goes to Steve Bannon, who has been chosen as Chief Strategist.

Although not part of the Cabinet, the former Breitbart News exec is still a vital member of Trump’s team and was hired to the dismay of supporters and opponents because he has been accused in the past of supporting a movement of “white nationalists” and “unabashed anti-Semites”.

The 62-year-old was born into a poor Irish-American family in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1953.

Bannon says of his background: “I come from a blue-collar, Irish Catholic, pro-Kennedy, pro-union family of Democrats.”

He signed up for the Navy after leaving college and spent four years at sea aboard a destroyer.

After leaving the Navy, Bannon attended Harvard Business School, where he received an MBA, before landing a job at Goldman Sachs and later heading up right-wing media organisation, Breitbart News.

Last August, Bannon was appointed to become chief executive of Trump’s presidential campaign.

LINDA MCMAHON (Small Business Secretary)

Founder of WWE wrestling franchise, Linda McMahon, has been chosen as leader of the Small Business Administration.

The federal department is in charge of providing small businesses with loans and support.

McMahon, 68, made her fortune through the wrestling industry, with the company that became WWE founded by her wrestler husband’s Irish grandad Jess in 1952.

Jess’s parents had moved from Galway to New York City, where he and his elder brother Edward worked as bank clerks before becoming a sporting force to be reckoned with.

McMahon - who has a son and a daughter with her husband Vince - married into the Irish-American clan and converted to Catholicism.

McMahon and her husband Vince are thought to be worth around €1billion.

RETIRED GENERAL MIKE FLYNN (National Security Adviser)

Retired lieutenant General Mike Flynn was the only general to publicly endorse Trump for the role of president.

The Rhode Island native hails from a large Irish Catholic family and lists surfing, running, fishing and reading fiction as his hobbies.

His brother Joe said of his sibling’s success: “The scrappy, no BS Irish-Catholic humble start they had in Newport made them what they are.”

The 57-year-old has previously served as the director of the Defence Intelligence Agency, commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, and chair of the Military Intelligence Board.

Flynn is a controversial figure who has opposed Barack Obama’s foreign policy. Flynn has called for closer links with Russia and has appeared on Russian TV several times.

WILBUR ROSS (Commerce Secretary)

Long-time Trump backer and billionaire investor Wilbur Ross has been announced as the Commerce Secretary.

The 79-year-old is the founder of the private equity firm WL Ross & Co and is known for restructuring failed companies.

While he has no known Irish links, he is thought to have made €500 million - or half a billion euros - after investing in Bank of Ireland after the crash.

Ross has spoken out against trade deals made in the last 25 years including the North American Free Trade Agreement.

He previously served on the board of the US-Russia Investment Fund under Bill Clinton.

KELLYANNE CONWAY (Counselor)

Conway was Trump’s campaign manager during the presidential race and will now be his close adviser.

Married to legal partner George T. Conway III, her maiden name was Fitzpatrick.

Conway’s father was an Irish immigrant and she was raised in New Jersey in a half-Irish, half-Italian family where women “posted prints of the Pope and the Last Supper on the walls.”

She has a pollster background and may use this skill to keep tabs on public sentiment. Conway will help to set the president’s agenda and formulate his message.

Over the years she had been a political commentator on CNN, Fox News and Fox Business.

She initially endorsed Ted Cruz during the Republican presidential primary but became Trump’s campaign manager after Cruz dropped out.

She became the first woman in history to successfully lead a US presidential campaign.

Trump will be inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States tomorrow. A concert titled “Make America Great!” will take place afterwards.