An essay that used barley as a central theme to highlight the experiences of Ireland and Korea has won the Irish-Korean Essay contest.

Ro Seong-ja wrote the essay that got the top-prize in the competition run by the Irish Association of Korea and supported by the Irish Embassy and the Dublin-based Emerald Cultural Institute.

“‘Barley -- A story of Resilience’ is a piece of evocative, imaginative and informative writing,” the association said in a release. “It weaves a tale of the personal and the national experiences of both Ireland and Korea and brings a new perspective to the relationship between the countries.”

Second prize was given to Paek Jung-won’s “How Korean Women May Learn from Irish Women,” which judges described as “a thought-provoking piece on social change in two very different but traditionally socially conservative societies.”

Third through fifth places were taken by from Choi Min-jeong, Nam Ji-hyun and Yun Chae-young.

Ro will get a month’s free study at a top Irish language institute, plus travel and accommodation. The other winners will also receive prizes.

(paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)