ELECTROW VOLUME THREE
Saturday, March 15th, 2014, seemed like the first
day of Spring in South Korea. It also
marked the 14th Annual St. Patrick’s
Day Festival, hosted by the Irish
Association of Korea. This year’s
event took place just outside of
exit 1 at Sindorim Station.
Koreans and expats alike had
opportunities to experience
many different aspects of Irish
culture. The stage in the center
of D-cube City Plaza was the
main attraction, with various
bands and dance troupes from all
over Asia. The deli, just inside the
entrance of D-Cube City, had Irish stew and
bangers & mash available for visitors to taste Irish
cuisine. There was also a face painting tent and
information about many Irish culture-based
organizations, such as the Gaelic Football Club and
a study abroad in Ireland program.
The festival kicked off at noon, and as the day
progressed, the sea of green attendees grew
exponentially. The event was graced with the
presence of the newly appointed Ambassador of
Ireland to Korea, Aingeal O’Donoghue. Since this
was her first St. Patrick’s Day in Korea, she was
very excited to spread the Irish culture and
promote the continued cooperation between Korea
and Ireland. She also announced that this would be
the first year that N Seoul Tower would be lit up
green in honor of the holiday.
By the late afternoon, around
the time many people were a few
pints in, a crowd had gathered
in front of the stage to dance.
Everyone was in a great mood
as they tried their own version
of the Irish jig to the traditional
music. One of the most
enjoyable things of the afternoon
was running into old friends and
meeting new ones. Everyone in
attendance was happy to talk and share the
spirit of the festival.
Andrew Kilbride from the Irish Association had
this to say about the event: “We [the Irish
Association] feel the event was a massive success.
We would like to thank everyone for coming and
getting involved. It’s fantastic to see the expat and
Korean communities come together and celebrate
as one. I hope we can grow this festival even more
next year”.
It was a great day full of family, friends and fun
out in the sun. If you missed this year’s event, you’ll
just have to wait until next year.
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