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Irish eyes shine with lots of Christmas cheer

Published: 05 Jan. 2003, 20:54

Christmas is a relatively new holiday on the peninsula, so sometimes expatriates need to take it upon themselves to celebrate the day in a style to which they are accustomed. At Buck Mulligan's, an Irish pub recently opened in the basement of the Seoul Finance Center in downtown Seoul, this meant an Emerald Isle-style Christmas bash － and plenty of Guinness.

About two dozen of Seoul's approximately 150 Irish showed up － mostly embassy staffers, journalists and scholars － to share the holiday spirit last Friday evening. Among the guests were the Ambassador of Ireland to Korea, Paul Murray, who has lived in Korea for two and a half years.

Mr. Murray talked with the Joong-Ang Ilbo English Edition about his mission in Korea for the remaining two and half years of his posting. "I'd like to work on the trinity: culture, higher education and high technology between Ireland and Korea.

"The two countries have been actively exchanging high technology and education in the past years. Now it's time for both Irish and Koreans to build more personal relations based on the historical and cultural similarities between the two countries."

Mr. Murray is known to enjoy a good book as well as a good party. An author, his second book, "Bram Stoker," will be published in London early next year.

by Inēs Cho