WATCH Gaelscoil an Ráithín call for support with VEX Robotics World Championship dream!

Gaelscoil an Ráithín in Mungret are fundraising to take 6th class students to the VEX Robotics International final event in the USA in April 2026. Picture: Olena Oleksienko/ilovelimerick

Students from Gaelscoil an Ráithín are calling on the public to support their dream of representing Limerick and Ireland at the VEX Robotics World Championship in St Louis, USA

Students and teachers from Gaelscoil an Ráithín are appealing to the public to raise funds and fulfil the 6th class’s dream of participating in the VEX Robotics World Championship in St Louis, USA, this April.

The school’s 6th class robotics team have secured their place at the global finals, having progressed through challenging competitions in Limerick and Cork. Their success with the regional and national VEX Robotics Championships marks a historic milestone, as it is the first time a primary school from Limerick has qualified for the international event.

The opportunity is even more special as the school have the chance to join just three other primary schools to take part in the international competition.

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Sixth Class teacher, Niamh Uí Dhomhnalláin said, “We have been invited to attend the World Robotic VEX Championships in St Louis, Missouri, in the United States at the end of April. We’re one of only four primary schools that got the nod. It’s like the golden ticket!”

Speaking about the support needed, Niamh told I Love Limerick, “We do have a GoFundMe page, and we’re also looking for any kind of sponsorships from anybody out there in Limerick – companies or anybody with a few Euros to spare.

“As you can imagine, a trip of this magnitude just requires a huge amount of money, and we want to get as many children as we can over there. So we’re really, really pleading with the Limerick people today to help us to make our kids’ dreams come true.”

The teams spent weeks building their robot, working from October through November and involving the entire class in the design and construction process with plenty of trial and error along the way as well as the pupils fundraising for the preliminary competitions.

Alannah, one of the students, said the class organised own-clothes days and hot chocolate sales to help fund the project so far, noting, “ Obviously the teachers helped, but we did it.” She added that the whole class was involved in the project, “ We were building it from basically October to November, it just took a while and a lot of trial and error.”

Now the school is fundraising to cover the high costs of the trip, and has so far raised more than €17,000 of their overall €50,000 goal, which will help with costs including flights, accommodation for students and staff, and transporting the robot to the United States.

Alannah’s classmate, Mattie said getting to the International competition would be an “amazing experience”. He added, “We have been doing VEX for eight or nine years now, and it’s the first time a school from Limerick has ever gotten an invitation to America, so it’s great to be the first group to ever do that.

“I’d like to see the quality of all the other teams from all the other countries and see how we are placed in the world.”

Organisers say donations will help give the students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent their school, county and Ireland on the world stage. Múinteoir Niamh made a plea to supporters in Limerick and beyond, saying, “ First of all, we’d like to say how proud we are. Isn’t it amazing that a school, a primary school from Limerick, can get such an amazing chance!

“We’d love it to happen. We want it to happen. And we’re asking all the Limerick people to put their hands in their pockets, start rattling the coins and notes even better, and get that money to us.”

She added, “Tacaigh linn, le bhur dtoil. Tá muid ag impí oraibh agus ba mhaith linn míle buíchas a ghabháil libh!“

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