Korea-based Irish music group ready for St. Patrick’s Day

“I started playing Irish music about 10 years ago,” he told The Korea Times. “At that time, a Korean Irish band called Bard was playing around, and that inspired me to study Irish music with a tin whistle. Their music videos helped me enjoy the beautiful sounds and harmony of the music. But there was no Irish music community in Busan, where I was born and lived before moving to Seoul. A new life in Seoul offered me not only a job at a big company but also opportunities to meet people and go to places like Wolfhound Pub and the Craic House.”

Lim Jae-hyuk, founder of Irish Music Korea, stands outside Nakwon Musical Instruments Arcade in central Seoul, March 8. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu

He said that learning Irish music was not that difficult, unlike other types of music. “But Irish music is a little bit different,” he said. “Their traditional music is usually run by ear, just listening to the music and not using the sets, because they are very simple songs and short melodies that are quite easy to run and much easier to play together. Instead, the challenge is not having enough Irish traditional instruments in Korea because they are rare and not commonly available in the market, and we don’t have anywhere to buy them.”

He said there are two places where the group usually gathers for practice, one at Seoul Community Cultural Center in western Seoul’s Hapjeong-dong and the other at Nakwon. Members only pay for space rental fees and their own food expenses.

That’s quite affordable and attractive to people like Katie Margaret Quinn, a Londoner who is an exchange student at Korea University.

“I found out about this community mainly through YouTube,” she said. “I have an Irish background myself, and if you look up Irish Music Korea, all the videos of the sessions will pop up. But Irish music is everywhere around the world, so you’re never not going to be around it. I can say that it’s a pleasure to be able to be part of this group.”

Katie Margaret Quinn holds her button accordion outside Nakwon Musical Instruments Arcade in central Seoul, March 8. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu

She plays a button accordion, which she brought over from London, and she’s also part of the set dance crew.

“I’m so glad I found this community that is interested in Irish culture, too,” she said. “My parents came over in November, and it was just so nice for them to come over with their instruments and meet all of these guys and play in a pub, you know, all across the world in Seoul.”

For French engineer Martin Doh, who works for a Korean company, it’s not only his passion for dancing and singing that motivated him to join the group but a plan for cross-border projects connecting Irish music communities in Korea and Japan with Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia.

“I lived in Korea for three years, and before that, I lived for seven years in Japan. When I was living in Japan, I met the Tokyo Irish community, where we were doing all kinds of Irish culture-related activities together, and we were also singing,” he said. “We also have an a capella singing team over there. At one point in my life, I decided to leave Japan, and fate just brought me to Korea. Right before leaving Japan, I came to Korea with a team of Japanese people, and we had a dancing workshop together. I love Irish culture so much. When I was in France, I grew up listening to Celtic music.”

He says that when members of the group come together, even without a shared language or culture, they are united by a common passion: a love for Irish music.

His dedication to Irish music played a key role in helping Japanese artist Inagaki Saki, a graduate of Tokyo Art University, find the group in Seoul. Both had previously danced and sang together in the Tokyo Irish community and are now continuing the same journey in Korea. She has been in Korea for nine months studying Korean language and culture.

“Seven years ago, I joined this Irish music community at my university, and since then, my life has been dictated by Irish culture and music. Wherever you go, you just search for Irish music, Irish community. I like going to dance and music sessions every weekend. I play the uilleann pipes and the Irish whistle,” she said. “I feel a lot of joy from Irish cultural activities. It makes me feel more energetic and motivated in my work life and studies. When I came to Korea, I was worried because everything I do on the weekend is mostly Irish cultural stuff: dance, play music and drink with friends.”

Japanese artist Inagaki Saki takes part in a group dancing session at Nakwon Musical Instruments Arcade in central Seoul, March 8. Courtesy of Bereket Alemayehu

The group offers Irish singing and dancing sessions for anyone interested, as well as performances at the Craic House twice a month on Wednesdays and once a month on Sundays.

This Saturday, for St. Patrick’s Day, they are set to perform traditional and set dancing at D-Cube City Plaza, outside southwestern Seoul’s Sindorim Station.

Follow @irishmusickorea on Instagram for more information.

Bereket Alemayehu is an Ethiopian photo artist, social activist and writer based in Seoul. He’s also the co-founder of Hanokers, a refugee-led social initiative and freelance contributor for Pressenza Press Agency.

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