Irish Taekwon-Do - The Beginning ( With a Cork Slant )

I suppose many people in Taekwon-Do have at one time or another pondered the inevitable question - just where did it all start and who were the first students?! Well , to answer that we have to journey back to the '60s!

The Original Pioneers!

A group of Dubliners had been training in Karate in 1966 in Gardiner Place, Dublin. After several years of training, a Korean instructor arrived at the club and began teaching them. The Korean, Yung Wu Kwon, a third degree, had come to the country to work. Kwon explained that he was teaching the Korean art of Taekwon-Do. Robert Howard and his classmates (such as Liam Dandy, Frank Matthews, and Paul Kavanagh) had never seen techniques like these before and were extremely impressed.

Classes way back in the day!

Later, another Korean instructor, Chang Ho Cho fifth Dan, started teaching and training in the hall. Mr. Cho graded Mr Howard, Mr Dandy and Mr Matthews to red belt, but shortly afterwards he had to leave for the U.S. in search of work. These two Masters conducted daily classes in the Korean martial art for the first time in Ireland. The training was intense and severe. As Master Dandy recalled they trained seven days a week, for hours at a time, under strict military discipline. These instructors, former Korean military, trained them in the fashion they themselves had learned.

As Master Dandy explained, there was no Irish Taekwon-Do organisation, no official body or instructors.The class continued to train together ( with no real instruction at this time, just
willing students developing their skills and discovering through trial and error ) and after a while they heard of another Korean Black Belt who had just arrived in England from Singapore.

Despite a great deal of effort they were unable to contact him but like all good practitioners of the art, they persevered and it was Liam Dandy who made the first breakthrough. Mr. Dandy was on his honeymoon in England when he heard that the Korean instructor was teaching in Coventry. He eventually tracked down the hall where he trained , only to discover that the instructor was away on holidays. Unwilling to give up , Mr Dandy obtained a contact number for the instructor from the caretaker.

On returning to Ireland, Mr Dandy and the other practitioners managed to contact the Korean instructor , Mr. Rhee Ki Ha (then a 5th Dan), and arranged to visit him in Coventry. After the meeting , Mr. Rhee agreed to come to Dublin and watch them train.

After watching and studying them train in Dublin , Mr. Rhee informed them that they had been practising Tang Soo Do and not Taekwon-Do. Nevertheless , he agreed to take them on as students, thus becoming the father of Taekwon-Do in Ireland. In 1968 , Mr. Anthony Phelan joined the school , after witnessing an impressive demonstration of Frank Matthews' skills on three unwitting attackers during a night out in Dublin.

The first Irish Red Belts!

Master Rhee travelled to Dublin on a monthly basis to instruct and train the Irish students for a whole weekend at a time. In May 1971 the three friends were tested for their black belts in Oxford , England. Their patterns and techniques were rigorously tested. As a test of power they were required to break two inches of timber with an array of kicks (both legs) , punch ten tiles and finally chop a house brick. Mr Howard , Mr Dandy, and Mr Matthews passed to become the first Irish Taekwon-Do black belts. On returning to Dublin the trio set in motion a programme to establish a strong Taekwon-Do presence in Dublin. One year later in 1972 with the help of Master Rhee , the Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association was born.

Dojang sans roof!

With the National governing body for Taekwon-Do now formed , the members of the R.I.T.A. travelled around the country performing demonstrations in order to develop public awareness of the art. As public awareness grew , Taekwon-Do schools were established throughout Ireland. In June 1973 , Mr. Howard, Mr. Dandy and Mr. Matthews were awarded their second degrees at a grading in Dublin.

R.I.T.A. Demo 1972 with Rhee Ki Ha

R.I.T.A. Demo Break 1972

It would have been around 1973/74 that Aidan Walsh would have travelled to Cork to set up a club for locals. Early Cork students would have included Frank Murphy and Norman Creedon ( now both 7th Dans ). Back then , classes were conducted in whatever local school or church halls or any rooms at all made themselves available , where the instructor would collect the money at the start of class from the practitioners and hand it over to the curators of the buildings for the rental of the room! A far cry from direct debits of modern times. Each class would require the students to travel from one building to the next all over the city to attend lessons!

Aidan Walsh - Cork Pioneer!

Training - Circa mid 1970s

At this time , most students would have come from the Northside of Cork City , but in the late summer of 1975 , some local lads from the southside would join the classes. One included my neighbour from across the road , the then 15 year old Jim O'Sullivan. Jim graded for Black Belt in 1977 and passed his 2nd Degree exam in 1979 , whereupon both he and Brian Walsh opened the Togher School of Taekwon - Do. ( By this time Mr. Howard and Mr. Dandy , the original pioneers had received their fourth degrees ). Over a year later , I found myself a member of this school.

R.I.T.A rocks! 1970s

By the early '80s , Taekwon-Do was well established in Ireland and in 1981 , I remember my Instructor telling us the unbelievable news that the Irish team had won the World Championships! By then , Taekwon - Do was everywhere! While not there at the very beginning of Taekwon-Do in Ireland , it was great to be a part of its Golden Age , certainly at least in terms of its genesis in Cork where it was only in existence for about six years when I began.

Ireland World Champions 1981!

Frank Murphy - centre

In 1995 both Mr. Howard and Mr. Phelan received their seventh degrees and became the first Irish men to become Masters in Taekwon-Do. Master Howard and Master Phelan were promoted to 8th Degree in 2002.

Master Robert Howard 8th Dan

So to summerise , the original students of Taekwon-Do were a bunch of lads back in 1968 who had been mistakenly training in Tang Soo Do up to Red Belt level and had contacted a Korean Taekwon-Do instructor , Rhee Ki Ha , who trained them up to Black Belt level and helped them set up a National body to help spread the Art throughout the Island.

The Guys who started it all!

Kudos must go to all those early Irish Black Belts who travelled all over Ireland conducting classes , in particular to Aidan Walsh , who took on Cork. Without him , I and countless others back in the '70s / early '80s might never have had the opportunity to train in Taekwon-Do!

Tae Kwon!