Trump supporters on Irish trip celebrate their candidate’s election victory

There were 40 American Christians on the bus cheering for Donald Trump as they headed into Milltown, Co Cavan yesterday, celebrating his election success.

"We are rejoicing. We are blessed to be here, to know that our newly elected president has a link here. That makes that special," said Marion Hollis, one of the Oklahoma group

"We want to be the strongest nation again and need a strong leader who can get us there – Donald Trump is that man. For all of the Christians and Catholics on that bus who voted for him, God has helped us," she added.

During Mass in the village church, Fr Carl Janockha, a New York priest, prayed that Mr Trump's administration "may be conducted in righteousness and that his laws will restrain vice and immorality".

Besides Milltown, the group will visit Belturbet – the home of Dorothy Curry, the one-time nanny of Trump's children; Donald jr, Ivanka and Eric. Thirty years on, she is still working for the Trumps.

When their father was building his real-estate empire, the Trump children flew to Ireland to stay for extended breaks with Curry, who they described as a nurturing force and a stabilising influence.

For Cindy Pratt, who was elected recently as a county clerk in her home state, the election offers the chance for the US to reset the clock, but it does not mean that it wants to pull back from the world.

“We as Americans don’t want to set ourselves apart from everyone. The Pope has called for a year of mercy and we have got to show more love in the world, there are too many people fighting,” she said.

Waiting to hear the results of the election early on Wednesday, she said she had prayed “that God’s work will be done” and she was “so very pleased” with the news. He will “stir up our career politicians”.

Robert Mandevill, who owns a pest control company, supported Trump's pledge to build a wall on the Mexican border: "You got to have borders," he says. "It's like Ireland – you got a border already, it's natural.

“I am more for setting landmines out there, and somebody comes across you can just blow it up. You don’t have to sit there and guard it – put landmines down, it would only take one landmine to solve the whole problem.”

Not everyone agrees on Trump. Frances Parker, the bus's only Hillary Clinton supporter, said: "I dislike Trump intensely. I am surprised that anyone would vote for a man who talks about women in the way he does. I am distraught."