Michael Riordan
Michael Riordan graduated from UCD in 1977 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (MVB). During his time in the vet college, Michael was commonly known as 'Bengy,' as was anyone whose surname was Riordan because of a popular soap on TV at the time!
After graduation, Michael volunteered to work for two years for the Isidore Development Association (IDA) on a farm project set up by P.J. McGlinchey, an Irish Columban missionary in Korea. He left for Korea in January 1978 and arrived on Cheju (the spelling of which later changed to Jeju) Island and was involved in the management and treatment of about 2,000 head of beef cattle, 500 head of sheep and 15,000 pigs. The Isidore farm was a place where many young Koreans gained experience in agriculture before setting up their own business. Fr McGlinchey's aim was to help the poor not by handouts, which can become degrading, but to help people to become financially independent.
Michael returned to Ireland in the Summer of 1980 and to the surprise of many of his classmates, he joined the Columbans; and to their even greater surprise, he was ordained a priest in January 1986! Michael worked as a curate in Armagh for five months and then in August of that year, he returned to Korea.
He worked in a city poor apostolate (living in a slum) for a number of years, before moving as curate to a parish and then becoming involved in Justice and Peace issues (workers' rights, human rights and the pro democracy movement).
Michael completed a course in Spirituality followed a number of years later by post graduate studies in Theology at the Gregorian University in Rome where he graduated with a License in Missiology. After returning to Korea, he was still involved in Justice and Peace work as well as in training students for the missionary priesthood.
In 2004, Michael was appointed to Geumak parish in Jeju where he is still parish priest. He became a member of the board of the IDA (a non profit making legal body) in 2005 and in 2010, he was elected Charman of the IDA. The IDA consists of the original farm, a feed mill, a kindergarten, a youth education centre, a nursing home, a free hospice for the dying, an adult education centre, a religious pilgrimage shrine and most recently a home for Secondary School students who have run afoul of the law. Instead of being sent to a reform school, the students live in a small group and get help with school, counselling etc. On the farm itself, they breed and train race horses and produce organic milk. The profits from any of the enterprises are used to support social welfare projects.