When I think of March back home, I think of collecting seashells on the beach, Azalea flowers blooming, and of course the infamous St. Patrick’s Day parade.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, Savannah, Georgia hosts one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the world. As a young girl, my father and I used to walk in the parade together, and throughout my college days, I always looked forward to coming back home for all of the festivities. Since I am in Korea this year, I am missing St. Patrick’s Day for the second time in my entire life! As Facebook erupted with pictures and status updates about this year’s activities, I could not help but feel a sense of nostalgia and longing to be back home.
Since there was obviously no possibility of flying home for the weekend, I decided I would attempt to create my own St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Surprisingly, Seoul is filled with Irish Pubs in every main district. Also, almost all the local 7-11’s sell Guinness. I figured I would gather some friends together, wear a little green, and enjoy some authentic Irish food and beverages at one of these local establishments. Instead, to my astonishment, I found some much more rousing possibilities!
As I perused Facebook, I noticed a post about a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Seoul! I could not believe it! I clicked on the video, and a sudden wave of excitement and energy flowed through me as I watched the footage of last years’ parade. I found the website for the parade organization, and I discovered that this year they would host a St. Patrick’s Day festival. I figured it would be a small event, but I was still excited to experience something like this in Korea!
The Irish Festival was held in the D-cube Park in Sindorim. D-cube City is a new cultural complex in Seoul which hosts a Sheraton hotel, a stylish and modern shopping mall, an arts center, tons of fantastic restaurants, a character theme park, and 10,000 acreage of green space all in one location! The park was built as an outdoor auditorium, and it was the perfect venue for all of the performers. Here is a list of the scheduled acts:
St. Patrick’s Day Seoul 2012 Schedule:
12:30-13:00 US 8th Army Band
13:00-13:20 Introductory speeches by Irish Ambassador, Dr. Eamonn McKee and IAK chair Conor O’Reilly
13:20-13:50 Banu (traditional Irish group)
13:50-14:20 Tap Pung dancers (audience encouraged to join the Irish dancing)
14:20-15:00 Have No Name (Korean U2 tribute band)
15:00-15:30 Bard (Korean traditional Irish band)
15:30-15:45 Rince Dancers
15:45-16:00 Bard (Korean traditional Irish band)
16:00-16:30 Tap Pung dancers (audience encouraged to join the Irish dancing)
16:30-16:45 Banu (traditional Irish group)
16:45-17:20 Dara Sheehan (Irish contemporary)
17:20-18:00 Sweet Murphy’s Fancy (contemporary rock band)
I arrived at the festival around 3:00pm, and to my surprise the place was packed! The event was BYOB, so my friends and I luckily made it to the closest family mart before they ran out of beer (I heard rumors later that the near by stores all sold out!). Most of the people in the crowd were foreigners, so it was quite amusing to watch my Korean friends’ reactions to the shenanigans. The music was fantastic, the crowd was super energetic, and overall I would definitely say that my St. Patrick’s day was a success!
Guest Post from Caroline Hosey from Savannah Georgia and now resides in Seoul, South Korea where she is teaching English.
Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
