Sprung

Spring has moved beyond it’s intial flex and is now well into the process of ejecting life from within the winter locked bowels of the plants and people longing for the seasons much anticipated warmth.

For me, without a doubt, the finest part of spring in Korea has to be its first couple of weeks as the first rain soaks and nourishes the earth, then the yellows of the forsythia and other plants slowly poke out in the yellow dusy haze. Before long the bushes on the streets begin to glow a warmer green, and the ever present cherry blossom trees have pre-bloom fur about their branches as the white petals rest just a few days from when they explode everywhere.

Did I mention the azaleas, which are the true jewel of the Korean spring?

It is this time when Korea’s spring is at its best, in my opinion. Yes, we all obssess over cherry blossoms (just spend a moment on my instagram page) because, well as impractical as they are, they are very nice to look at. However, before their emergence, this is when I find any extra skip in my step. The added warmth in the air makes this all the more easier.

Of course, it’s hard to resist arming myself with my camera on those short walks to work. Here’s a small set of some of the views on the way too and from work.

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All shots are unedited original images ©Conor O’Reilly 2014

For more photography find me on Flickr, Tumblr, and Insatgram

Letter from Korea, March 2012

Suwon, South Korea
28/3/2012

Dear Ireland,

Ever since I first arrived in Korea, March has always been a milestone. It is one of many milestones, but it’s one that is always hanging over me, not in a particularly negative or positive way, it is just there waiting for me to remember it without celebration.

People are fond of marking milestones, either as celebrations or as reasons to reflect again. If you think of March as a milestone in Korea, it was the month two years ago when the ROK Cheonan was sunk off the coast of Korea. Of more global significance, it was one year ago this month when the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami struck the east coast of Japan, killing thousands, making millions homeless, and of course shattering the reactor in the Fukishima nuclear plant. These days will forever be milestones in the lives of those directly affected by both of these events.

Saint Patrick’s Day Festival in Seoul, 2012.

I thought I’d share some pictures with you from the festival which took place last Saturday. This was the 12th year Saint Patrick’s Day has been celebrated by the Irish Association of Korea, and the second year in a row that we didn’t have a parade. This didn’t detract from the festivities, and our venue, the D Cube Center in Sindorim, was perfect as the auditorium like design kept everyone tightly packed in together and allowed for a wonderful festive atmosphere that people could sit back and enjoy.

I’m going to throw up a few photos for you here and I hope you can enjoy them. For more photos and details about the Irish Association of Korea, visit our website.

 

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