Baird attended The High School for three years before moving to St Michael's College and, alongside Leinster teammate Scott Penny, was a standout performer during the 2018 Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup.
[1] Strong performances at school level saw Baird rewarded with a place in Leinster's academy ahead of the 2018–19 season,[1] and he made his senior competitive debut for the province in their 14–13 defeat against Ulster during round 21 of the 2018–19 Pro14 on 27 April 2019.
[5] He was retained in the under-20s squad for the 2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championship,[6] and started in the 46–26 opening win against England,[7] but, during the second pool fixture against Australia, Baird was shown a red card for a high tackle.
In October 2020, he was named in the Ireland squad by coach Andy Farrell for the remaining matches of the 2020 Six Nations Championship.
[8] On 27 February 2021, Baird made his debut off the bench in a 10–48 victory over Italy in the third round of the 2021 Six Nations.