Corkman to attend Irish Prime Minister’s China reception

January 6, 2026

From left: Pat McCarthy, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Setanta McCarthy, pictured at China Europe International Business School in 2023.

Shanghai, January 6 — Pat McCarthy, a Cork native and Chair of the Ireland Sino Institute, is set to attend a high-level reception in Shanghai at 6pm on January 8, held in connection with the official visit to China by Taoiseach Micheál Martin (Department of the Taoiseach).

The reception will take place at the conclusion of the Taoiseach’s five-day visit (January 4–8), which includes engagements in Beijing and Shanghai focused on strengthening bilateral relations in trade, investment, education, and cultural exchange (Reuters)

McCarthy and the Taoiseach share a Cork background, a regional link that has surfaced previously in Ireland–China engagement. In November 2023, McCarthy and representatives of the Institute met Micheál Martin at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai, when Martin was serving as Tánaiste (IrishExaminer).

That meeting followed an arduous journey by McCarthy and his family from northeast China, where they are based in Liaoning Province. Their travel plans were repeatedly disrupted by winter blizzards, including cancelled trains and flights, forcing multiple reroutes by road and rail before they ultimately reached Shanghai.

The episode was later cited as a sign of personal commitment to educational and cultural engagement and to strengthening Ireland–China and China–Europe ties despite significant obstacles (CEIBS; Ireland Sino Institute feature).

During the current visit, McCarthy’s trip to Shanghai is intended not only to attend the January 8 reception. It is also aimed at supporting the Ireland Sino Institute’s ongoing work in education, people-to-people exchange, and long-term relationship-building between Ireland, Europe, and China (Ireland Sino Institute).

The shared Cork connection has taken on additional resonance during the Taoiseach’s Beijing programme following a widely reported cultural exchange between Micheál Martin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. During their meeting at the Great Hall of the People, Xi told the Taoiseach that an Irish novel, The Gadfly, sustained him during some of the most traumatic years of his teenage life; Martin responded that he too had read the book as a late teenager and it left a profound impression (The Irish Times).

The Gadfly has a direct Cork link: author Ethel Voynich was born in Cork, and was the daughter of mathematician George Boole, who taught at Queen’s College Cork (now University College Cork) (The Irish Times).

McCarthy’s upcoming attendance at the Shanghai reception reflects the role of civic and educational actors working alongside official diplomacy. The Ireland Sino Institute says that since its inception in 2012, its charitable education arm has helped educate nearly 50,000 rural Chinese children, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, through programmes delivered via what it describes as the only Irish-founded school operating in China (Ireland Sino Institute).

Micheál Martin has emphasised philanthropy as central to leadership, highlighting its role in strengthening communities, supporting education, and expanding opportunity for disadvantaged groups (gov.ie).