Chair- Shauna Browne

I’m Shauna Browne the current chairperson of the Irish Association of Korea. I’m originally from Roscrea, Co. Tipperary and I’ve been in Korea, living in Paju, since 2009. Over the past 4 years, I’ve seen the Irish culture, across all disciplines be  fostered here in Korea. It makes me extremely proud that the Irish here in Korea are making a difference and it is a great example of how two cultures can come together and appreciate what each has to offer.

Music is a huge interest of mine and you can regularly find me playing at the Irish music sessions in and around Seoul. It’s a really great privilege to be able to play Irish music and do Irish dancing with Koreans and I’ve made so many friends doing so.  At the start, I thought I would be teaching them how to play but as time has gone on, the Korean musicians here have opened my eyes to how combining Irish music with aspects of the Korean style can make a great difference to a performance.

In my role as Chair, I hope toraise awareness of and encourage all things Irish. The Irish Association of Korea is a voluntary organisation who promote awareness of Irish culture through events in Korea. This varies from big events like the St. Patrick’s Day festival to smaller music sessions and meetups. We’re always looking out for new ideas and new members. Getting involved can vary from sitting in on meetings to volunteering at events to helping brainstorm new ideas.You can decide how active you become.  We also love to hear from anyone who is getting ready to come to Korea or thinking about coming here to live and work.

I really look forward to meeting a lot of new people in this role so please feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas at iak.chair@gmail.com. You can also find us on twitter @irishinkorea