Bringing an Ancient Irish Tradition to South Korea

‘Did you hear the one about…?’ That’s all you need to gather listeners in Ireland. Storytelling has always been a big part of life in pubs, kitchens, and playgrounds round Ireland.

Storytelling is the flagship of Irish folklore and our famous oral tradition is exemplified in famous storytellers and ancient mythical tales of bravery, discovery and knowledge.

Legends tended, and still tend, to be told on a more informal basis – in the fields, over the kitchen table, at the pub – and do not need any specialised skill or knowledge in their telling.

Today the art of seancaithe (tradition bearers) and scéalaí (storytellers) is being revived in festivals and events all over Ireland and we are excited to bring these stories to our festival here in Korea.

As part of the Seoul St. Patrick’s Day Festival this year on March 15th, we will be sharing this huge part of Irish culture and history. We have put together an amazing team of volunteer storytellers who can be found in The Irish Village between 1pm and 4pm retelling some of the most famous Irish folk-tales and hero-tales.

The stories that will be told on the day include; Oisin, The Children of Lir, thew Salmon of KNowledge, The King with Donkey Ears, The Giant from Scotland and of course the story of Ireland’s patron Saint, Saint Patrick.