Team Ireland is heading for the Special Olympics in Los Angeles, where the opening ceremony will take place on Saturday in the LA Coliseum.
The 88 athletes as well as a 40-strong coaching team will represent Ireland at these World Summer Games.
US Olympic legend Michael Phelps, First Lady Michelle Obama and Stevie Wonder will be among those to feature at the ceremony.
The Irish squad will help make up the 7,000 athletes competing at the games, hailing from 177 different countries.
Irish Olympian John Treacy, Claudine Keane and actor Colin Farrell will lead Team Ireland out during the opening ceremony.
CEO of Special Olympics Ireland, Matt English, said that this was the result of the athletes' and volunteers' hard work .
"We have the strongest programme in the world, I have no doubt about that" he said.
"We have 369 clubs which are run by volunteers on a weekly basis, over 9,000 athletes are training week in, week out".
"The 88 athletes here are flying the flag for all of those other athletes that pushed them all the way through advancement competitions over the last four years" he added.
Newstalk.com's Henry McKean was at Dublin Airport, and spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.
