The Greatest Irishman in China
The Greatest Irishman in China: Pat McCarthy interviews one of his former students from rural China who overcame the odds.
How It All Began
In the soft golden light of a November morning in 2012, Pat McCarthy stepped off the train into the quiet station of Changtu County, deep in the rural reaches of Liaoning Province in northeast China. Having left behind a promising career in South Korea, and carrying little more than his life-savings, a suitcase, and an unwavering belief that education must reach every child, he embarked on a journey few would dare.
What began as a solitary dream has, over more than a decade, grown into a life-changing mission—one that has touched tens of thousands of children in remote Chinese villages, bringing hope, possibility and new horizons where they had seemed distant.
A Childhood Seed
Born and raised in the breezy seaside town of Clonakilty in West Cork, Ireland, Pat’s upbringing planted the seeds of his calling. He witnessed his community’s kindness—collection drives for children overseas, small acts of solidarity—and even as a young boy he secretly added his favourite clothes to a bag bound for rural China. That early spark of empathy would later kindle a fire of purpose.
Far right, a young Pat McCarthy waits with friends as the donation truck approaches—unaware that this small act of giving would plant the seed for a lifelong journey with China.
The Turning Point
In 2011, while living and working abroad, Pat met Chang, a teacher from rural Liaoning whose stories of children left behind—parents migrating to cities, under-resourced schools, and English barely taught in the classroom—struck a chord. Chang’s own mother had devoted her life to teaching in a small town in Changtu County for nearly 40 years, reaching over 50,000 students during her career. Hearing of the gap between urban China’s boom and its rural hinterlands, Pat realised this was a challenge he could not walk away from—and so, together, they made the radical choice to invest their savings and commit to a non-profit venture in Changtu.
Building the Bridge
They founded the Ireland Sino Institute in 2012, registering a non-profit education centre under China’s charities laws in Liaoning with a twin office model in Ireland and China. Their aim: to provide free or heavily-subsidised English-language programmes, scholarships and extra-curricular support to children from disadvantaged backgrounds, migrant-left families, and rural schools where qualified teachers were scarce.
From First Steps to Thousands of Lives
In the early years, Pat taught his first classes in a borrowed classroom—chalk dust in the air, his voice guiding six-year-olds as they traced the unfamiliar letters and sounds of English. Within months, the waiting list had grown. Scholarships were offered to children whose families could not afford the fees. Gradually, more experienced teachers joined, a small library took shape, a computer corner appeared, and the once-quiet rural center began to hum with life and purpose.
By 2024, following a press release, it was reported that over 20,000 children had been supported in rural Liaoning through the institute’s efforts since 2012.
The Heart of The Mission
For Pat, the break-through moments weren’t in funding or logistics—but in the human connection. He often says:
“The most powerful moment is when a child from a rural village steps through our doors, battles against all odds to graduate high school, maybe even university, and then comes back, looks us in the eye, and says, ‘I did it.’ That one moment is worth everything.”
— Pat McCarthy
He emphasizes equality in his philosophy and approach: male and female scholarship recipients in equal measure; inclusive of children with physical and mental disabilities. More than teaching English, his aim has been to build confidence, open horizons, and narrow the urban-rural divide in China.
Pat McCarthy in the classroom
Cultural Bridges, Not Just Academic Ones
But Pat’s vision didn’t stop at English lessons. A believer in intercultural understanding, he has woven Irish and Chinese storytelling, music, heritage, and friendship into his programmes. In one notable moment, his son Setanta—a young musician—performed an Irish classic “Danny Boy” on the Chinese erhu at a cultural event in Beijing, symbolising the harmony between two cultures Pat is committed to bridging.
Challenges, Setbacks and Resolve
Yet it hasn’t been easy. Rural China presents formidable obstacles: teachers leaving for higher pay in cities; classrooms bursting with 100 students per teacher; households in poorer regions spending up to 56.8% of income just to give their children schooling. There have been funding crunches, regulation hurdles, and the persistent challenge of recruiting international teachers to remote places for less than city salaries. Pat and Chang embraced all this as part of the mission—root work for systemic change, not quick wins.
Ripples Into the Future
Today, the Ireland Sino Institute has broadened its scope—while education remains central, it now connects to cultural exchange, tourism, trade and Ireland-China relations. Pat’s vision is still anchored in that 2012 belief: nobody should be left behind.
Many of the children who’ve passed through the programme now tutor younger ones, volunteer in their home villages, or head to university. One graduate returned to teach at the same centre, declaring: “Because of you I believed I could stay in school. Now I want to help others.” That moment, Pat believes, is everything.
A Generation Changed
In the deep quiet of a winter evening in the Institute’s dormitory—husked outside, but warm inside—Pat sits with a notebook of handwritten letters from students: “Thank you for believing in me.” “I will make our village proud.” “I want to learn so I can give back.” He smiles, remembering how the first group of six students looked nervous, tongues stumbling over “hello,” and how now, in 2025, graduates present themselves with quiet confidence and global ambition from a dusty classroom on the Chinese plain.
Why It Matters
In a world where education is too often taken for granted, Pat McCarthy’s mission reminds us what one heart can change. When one person decides that every child counts, when one family trades comfort for purpose, when faith meets the rough soil of reality—miracles take root. The children of rural Liaoning who once might have fallen silent are now graduates who speak with confidence.
The Journey Continues
As the next chapter unfolds, Pat and the Ireland Sino Institute set their sights on new goals: reducing drop-out rates further, expanding scholarship access, training more local teachers, and deepening cultural links between Ireland and China. The journey, after all, is long—and the stakes high—but if the early years teach anything, it is this: when you plant the seed of opportunity, with patience and heart, you watch a generation rise.
In the stillness of a Changtu classroom, amid the chalk dust and the eager eyes of a child learning English for the first time, Pat McCarthy sees not just a student—but a promise: of equality, of possibility, of hope that reaches across oceans and generations. And for that, the world is richer.
A Thankful Heart
Pat and his wife feel deeply grateful to China for giving them the chance to touch lives and make a real difference.
How You Can Make A Difference
Pat and Chang’s school is a vetted organization on GlobalGiving. You too can make a contribution and help provide quality education to 1,000 rural Chinese children.
© 2025 Europe China Monitor News Team