REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT IRISH CULTURAL PERFORMANCE/RECEPTION IN SHILLA HOTEL, SEOUL
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT IRISH CULTURAL PERFORMANCE/RECEPTION IN SHILLA HOTEL, SEOUL, THURSDAY, 24 MARCH, 2005
Ann yong ha shim nee ka.
A dhaoine uaisle, tá an-áthas orm agus ar mo fhear chéile Máirtín, bheith anseo libh anocht.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is wonderful to be here in Seoul with you this evening on what is my first visit to this fascinating land and the first state visit by an Irish President. I have heard that some people describe the people of Korea as “the Irish of Asia” and just as Ireland is famous for the warmth of its welcome, since Martin and I arrived here we have experienced the one hundred thousand welcomes of Korea. Clearly, though we are separated by many miles, the Korean and Irish temperaments and characters have a lot of similarities.
Last night as guests of President and Mrs. Roh at a wonderful state banquet held in our honour we were entertained to an enchanting performance of Korean traditional music and in it we were surprised to hear familiar echoes of our own Irish music. Maybe tonight Irish music can return the compliment.
Although we are an emigrating people not many Irish men and women made Korea their home over the years but those, small in number, who first settled here, were great in heart. They were the members of religious missionary orders who came here from 1933 onwards and who put their lives, their energies, their skills and talents at the service of the Korean people. They were and still are a source of great pride to Ireland - these wonderful carers, some of whom are thankfully among us tonight. Through their work, mainly in healthcare and in education, they made Ireland known to Korea and Korea known to Ireland. It was they who started the work that we continue, of building relationships between our two countries - warm, friendly relationships which transcend the barriers of distance and difference.
In recent times, our common interest in education and the desire to learn has helped to form closer links between our peoples. Young Irish teachers come regularly to Korea to teach in Korean schools and share some of Ireland’s cultural experiences with their students. I know that some of you came together to form a Gaelic Football club and that in the very first Asian Gaelic Games, held in Phuket, I presented you with the Derek Brady Memorial Trophy. I have since learnt that Seoul Gaels successfully defended the Trophy in 2003 and 2004 becoming the very first team in Asia to do so. Some of the county teams at home – no names mentioned – could do with your help!
I would like to express my gratitude to Chairman Cho Yang-ho of Korean Air who has been Ireland’s Honorary Consul-General since 1994. His quiet, efficient work has woven strong threads in the evolving tapestry that binds Ireland and Korea. We are fortunate to have such a good friend in Korea.
Just as many Irish people who visited Korea for the World Cup in 2002 brought back fond memories of the warmth and friendliness of the people of Korea, so too it is the Irish who live here who introduce Koreans to the character and the nature of the Irish people. Through your lived lives as colleagues, partners and friends of the Korean people, a window is opened here on what it is to be Irish. Ireland is very grateful for such a powerful set of ambassadors who create goodwill for our people and interest in our culture wherever they go. It is these human ties that all the rest are built on - whether political or commercial, whether cultural or educational. Both countries owe you a debt of gratitude for the happy memories you create and which make us all curious to know more about each other and to work even harder at befriending each other.
In celebration of the links between our two countries and of our pride in Irish culture that stays in our hearts no matter where on this planet we meet, I invite you now to sit back, relax and enjoy tonight’s performance of Irish music and dance by County Donegal’s great ambassadors, Altan.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.