Owen is a maths Barron!
A Cork secondary school student has secured a silver medal as team Ireland enjoyed its best ever result at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
Competing on Australia’s Sunshine Coast from 10-20 July, Owen Barron, 17, of Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh in Cork city joined five other Irish students for the world championship in mathematics for second-level students.
Team Ireland was up against 635 of the world’s brightest young mathematicians from 110 countries, all scrambling to solve six fiendishly difficult mathematics problems within nine hours.
Cork genius Owen took a silver medal along with Tianci Yan, 18, from Wesley College, Dublin, while Vitalii Halushko, 16, from St Vincent’s Castleknock College in Dublin earned a bronze medal. Honourable mentions went to Ben Maguire, 17, also from St Vincent’s Castleknock College; Jack McAuliffe, 17, from St Flannan’s College, Ennis; and Ang Yang Li, 18, from The Institute of Education, Dublin.
Owen said: “I find that I improve far more when working in a group instead of alone. The IMT (Irish Mathematical Trust) has successfully organised many camps. This year alone there have been at least six in various locations around the country. This support has no doubt enabled me in my success at IMO 2025.”
The team was led by Dr Bernd Kreussler of MIC Limerick, deputy Anca Mustata of UCC, and Prof. Stephen Buckley of Maynooth University as an observer.
UCC’s Emily Wolfe also joined as a volunteer trainer in Australia.
Team Ireland’s historic showing at this year’s IMO yielded the highest medal count ever for Ireland in the competition, the highest team score (127 points) breaking the previous record by more than 40 points, and Ireland’s highest-ever country ranking (42nd place) marking the first time Ireland has finished in the top half of the leaderboard.
In April this year, Ireland also achieved a historic milestone at the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO), with the team’s second highest score ever. Siobhán McGale, 18, from St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena, Co. Antrim won a bronze medal.
Among the medallists, Vitalii Halushko has a special history. A Ukrainian refugee, he arrived in Ireland in 2022 and has since attended both Irish and Ukrainian schools simultaneously.
Vitalii said: “I am very thankful to my teachers, Principal Mr Kinder from St Vincent’s School Castleknock College, Year Head Mr Mulvany, and the entire teaching staff who encouraged my academic interests and supported me in balancing school life with advanced math studies and Olympiads and competitions.”