...missed him by an hour!

I met my friend for coffee at the Woodlands Centre on Monday and was amazed to see the place full of sharply dressed, glossy people hammering on laptops. What was going on? My friend informed me that we had missed an important visitor to the island, who gave a Press Conference in the cafe...an hour ago. The Stornoway Gazette will fill in the gaps for you.

Published Date: 12 June 2008
By Michelle Robson

PULLING in more press than a Royal visit, billionaire Donald Trump touched down in Stornoway on Monday and offered a glimmer of hope for Lews Castle.
Arriving in his private Boeing 727 directly from Boston, Mr Trump, accompanied by his sister Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, met his island cousins and visited his late mother's home in Tong.

Mr Trump and his sister Maryanne Trump Barry disembark from the plane at Stornoway Airport.

At a press conference in the Woodlands Centre, Mr Trump said he would expect to be back on the island within the year.He also met briefly with representatives from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar who presented him with a Lewis chessmen set along with a pack of information on their plans for Lews Castle - an ambitious project in desperate need of private investment.

Openly proclaiming, 'I have a lot of money', Mr Trump said of the proposal: "I have heard they were going to be asking and I am certainly going to look at it. It is a beautiful castle. When was it built?" He added: "There is a chance I might be interested and I might also look at more charitable things." From this admission, there is some speculation that Mr Trump may be considering a donation to the Bethesda Hospice which urgently requires funds for its redevelopment. The local authority are also keeping fingers crossed that he will stay in touch over the Castle plans."

The Comhairle was pleased to welcome Donald Trump and Maryanne Trump Barry to Lewis and particularly welcomed the opportunity to discuss plans for Lews Castle, which Mr Trump described as a 'beautiful building'," said a spokesperson. "He was interested in the history of the Castle and took away information on the proposals to create a hotel and museum. The Comhairle, working with the Stornoway Trust and Lews Castle College, is actively seeking private partners for the renovation and development of the Castle and will stay in contact with the Trump organisation on this issue."

The US tycoon, who is in Scotland for a Public Local Inquiry into his golf course plans for Aberdeenshire, was also asked if he had any interest in the South Uist Estate's plans for Askernish golf course. "I have not heard about it," he admitted, "but it sounds interesting. Tom Morris? That must be one old course."

Although Mr Trump's visit to Lewis has been described as a publicity stunt to aid his East coast plans, he stressed that the visit was all about family. His first port of call on arrival was to his mother's home in Tong where his relatives still reside. He spoke personally about his strong connection to Scotland through his mother and also his sister who continues to visit regularly. He said: "I was here many, many years ago with my mother as a young child and I haven't been back since because I've been so busy working, having some fun in New York. Let's put it that way. We're building all over the world and now we are back here, we are just happy to be back here."

Ms Trump Barry, who is a Federal Judge in New York, has visited the island many times and shared her memories of visiting her grandparents and hearing Gaelic. A regular reader of the Stornoway Gazette, she showed journalists cuttings of her parents wedding notice in the a 1930s copy of the paper. She also said that her late mother would have been very proud of Donald's achievements. Mr Trump himself said that his return to the island was emotional and paid tribute to his mother.

Speaking of his visit to the family home, he said: "The house is smaller than I thought and it is hard to believe it is over 100 years old. You do reach a certain point in life when you have to look at where you came from and I have been wanting to do this for years. It is hard on the timescale but I will be back." He talked of his desire to bring his two year old son to the island in the near future and noted that he would like to return within a year. "I feel very comfortable here." he admitted "When your mother comes from a certain location, you tend to like that location. I do feel Scottish but don't ask me to define that, there was something very strong from my mother."

Mr Trump was also accompanied by George Sorial, his right hand man, who has strong Lewis connections as well.Mr Sorial told the Gazette he plans to return to Lewis later this month to enjoy a relaxing holiday with his relatives.

Guess I'll just have to catch up with him on his next visit!