Irish association to hold culture event
By John Redmond
The Irish Association of Korea (IAK) will host “Half a World Away,” an event that will outline the influence some Irish nationals have had on the Korean Peninsula, at the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon, Seoul, Saturday.
It will also remember the brave people who fought and lost their lives in the Korean War.
The event will be opened by Irish Ambassador to Korea Aingeal O’Donoghue and feature a brief presentation on the IAK by its chairman Andrew Kilbride. The day will begin with a breakfast in the hotel’s third-floor Cosmos Hall at 10 a.m.
The first of two talks will follow, beginning with writer and scholar Dr. Kevin O’Rourke, who has been a resident of Korea since the 1960s.
O’Rourke, whose most recent book is “William George Aston in Korea,” will speak on the first Irish in Korea and the history and contributions of Irish people over the ages. This is an account of the life and work of the first Irish person to live in Korea.
The second talk and presentation will feature James Durney, an Irish author who has written two books on the Irish in the Korean War.
A bus tour guided by authors Andrew Salmon and Durney, themed “Memorial of the Irish dead of the Korean War,” will leave from the hotel. It will include a visit to some of the famous places where Irishmen fought and died in the Korean War.
The IAK is a nonprofit voluntary group that promotes Irish culture in Korea through events catering to Irish residents and also giving Koreans and others the opportunity to experience and learn more about Ireland and Irish culture.
There are about 1,000 Irish citizens living in Korea at any one time.
The buses will return to Seoul about 8 p.m. The cost of the event is 10,000 won.
A fundraiser music night for the IAK will be held at Rocky Mountain Tavern in Itaewon starting at 8 p.m.
For those who wish to attend just the night event, the entrance fee is 10,000 won.
The Hamilton Hotel is at 179 Itaewon-no, Yongsan-gu. Cosmos Hall is on the third floor.
Visit facebook.com/irishassociationofkorea for more information. Email
for bookings.