Mayo student to represent Ireland at prestigious competition in Shanghai
Orlaith McGeough will be one of just 16 young people representing Team Ireland at the competition, which will bring together over 1,400 competitors from more than 70 countries
Westport native Orlaith McGeough is set to represent her country this September at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.
Orlaith, 21, will wear the Irish harp as Ireland’s representative in ‘Logistics and Freight Forwarding’, competing against talent from across the globe at one of the world’s largest and most prestigious international skills competitions.
The scale of WorldSkills has previously been summed up by Andrew Brownlee, CEO of SOLAS, who described it as “the Olympics for vocational, technological, and service-oriented skills.”
Orlaith, along with the rest of Team Ireland, will depart Ireland on September 18, ahead of the Opening Ceremony and Parade of Nations on September 22. Four days of competition will take place from September 23 to 26, before the Closing Ceremony on September 27, where the results will be announced and medals awarded.
A former student of Sancta Maria College, Louisburgh, Orlaith has said she “couldn’t be prouder” to stand alongside her fellow Irish representatives in Shanghai:
“When I first got involved in WorldSkills, I don't think I fully understood where it could take me. To go from competing in Ireland to now preparing to wear the Irish harp and represent my country on the world stage in Shanghai is something that’s very hard to put into words.”
After competing at national level, Orlaith won the WorldSkills Ireland Logistics and Freight Forwarding competition, beginning the pathway that would ultimately see her selected to represent Ireland internationally.
“The journey to Shanghai has involved months of training, industry experience, challenges and opportunities that I never could have imagined. I’ve had the chance to learn from some amazing people along the way, develop my skills and push myself further than ever before.”
At WorldSkills Shanghai, her preparation will be put to the test, with competitors required to demonstrate technical knowledge, accuracy, organisation, decision-making and the ability to solve complex problems under intense time pressure.
“I’m also so thankful to everyone involved with WorldSkills Ireland, and to all the people who have mentored and supported me at different stages of my life, whether that was on the football pitch, during my years in Sancta Maria College, Louisburgh, or now in TU Dublin.
“Most of all, I’m incredibly grateful to my family,” Orlaith added: “Their support has been constant throughout this journey and having them behind me as I head to Shanghai means more than I can put into words.”
“My focus now is on one final push before Shanghai. I want to go out there, take in every part of the experience and give absolutely everything I have. Whatever happens, being able to say that I represented Ireland at WorldSkills is something I’ll always be proud of.”
2026 marks the 70th year of Ireland’s involvement in WorldSkills. Since 1976, 732 competitors have represented Team Ireland, bringing home 63 gold, 53 silver and 80 bronze medals.