SPOTLIGHT 26/03/12 Artwork honors Irish missionaries martyred during Korean War

[성기화 요셉]

The Korean War is considered one of the deadliest armed conflicts of the 20th century

Irish Secretary of State for Transport Sean Canney looking at the Monument to Irish Victims of the Korean War at Hoguk Park in front of the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul, on March 12. (Photo by Lee Hyung-jun)

By UCA News reporter

Published: March 18, 2026 11:44 AM GMT

Updated: March 18, 2026 12:13 PM GMT

Catholic Church officials and dignitaries attended a ceremony to unveil the original tapestry artwork "Woven into Memory," created to commemorate seven missionaries of the St. Columban Foreign Mission Society who were martyred during the Korean War.

The ceremony was held at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, South Korea, on March 12.

Among the dignitaries were Sean Canney, Ireland’s Secretary of State for Transport, who was visiting South Korea; Michelle Winthrop, the Irish Ambassador to Korea; Jacqueline Nie Craven de Towi, a donor of the artwork and a descendant of a martyr, and members of the St. Columban Foreign Mission Society.

Canney hails from the Headford area of ​​Galway in Ireland, the hometown of Father Francis Canavan, one of the martyrs and a Servant of God, a preliminary title conferred on a sainthood candidate in the Catholic Church.

“The tapestry expresses the war and the sacrifices of missionaries in a very unique way. I am especially pleased that it will be exhibited at the War Memorial,” Canney said.

The permanently donated artwork is on display in the Warrior Lounge and is available for free viewing by anyone.

"We hope that the stories of the missionaries' martyrdom and the proclamation of the Gospel contained within the work will continue to be conveyed and remembered by everyone who visits the tapestry," the mission society stated.

The tapestry arrived in Korea in December 2025 after completing its tour of Ireland.

Six copies were delivered to the Korean branch of the mission society, as well as to the Sanjeong-dong Parish in Mokpo, Gwangju Archdiocese, the Gwangju Catholic Museum, and the Embassy of Ireland in Korea.

Before the unveiling ceremony, the attendees observed a moment of silence in front of the Monument to Irish Victims of the Korean War, located in the Patriotic Park, in front of the memorial hall.

Father Daneil Ogi-baek from the mission society quoted a poem by Father John O'Donnahue, an Irish poet and priest.

“The sheep and the wolf play together, and our swords become plowshares; may there be no harm done to our sacred earth from now on,” he read.

Yang Dong-hak, the acting chairman of the War Memorial Society, presented a certificate of appreciation to Jacqueline Nie Craven de Towi and the mission society for donating the tapestry.

The Korean War (1950-53), triggered by the invasion of North Korean communist forces into the South, is considered one of the deadliest conflicts of the twentieth century. An estimated three million people were killed and over ten million displaced by the war.

This report is a translated and edited version of a Korean-language article first published by Catholic Times of Korea on March 17, 2026.