Instructors

Chief Instructor & Examiner

Mr. Gareth Curran, VI Degree

Mr. Curran (VI) is the Chief Instructor and Examiner at Maynooth Taekwon-Do School. He began his Taekwon-Do career in October 1985 at Crumlin Taekwon-Do Club under the instruction of Mr. Val Douglas, 2nd degree, now Grand Master Douglas (IX). Over the next five years, Mr. Curran progressed through the colour belt ranks, grading under Mr. Brendan O’Toole (now Grand Master O’Toole). During this period he competed at colour belt level both nationally and internationally and was very successful in patterns, sparring and power events, winning many national and international tournaments.

In 1990, at the age of twelve, Mr. Curran graded under Master Hee Il Cho (now Grand Master Cho) of the Action International Martial Arts Association (AIMAA) and was promoted to 1st degree black belt. He was the youngest ITF black belt in Ireland at that time. He continued to compete very successfully at black belt level and in 1992 was promoted to 2nd degree black belt at the age of fourteen.

Over the next thirty years Mr. Curran continued to be involved in all aspects of Taekwon-Do. He was privileged to carry on training under Grand Master Douglas and continues to do so today. In 2007 he opened Maynooth Taekwon-Do School, which has gone from strength to strength and helped students of all backgrounds and abilities achieve their goals. He continued to compete successfully and graded through the Dan grades under Grand Master O’Toole, Grand Master Douglas and Master Martin. In June 2022 he was awarded his 6th degree black belt by Grand Master Douglas and two senior ITF Masters.

Mr. Curran has acted as Secretary General for a national association; been involved in organising events such as national and international tournaments, technical seminars and International Instructor Courses; and has been a national chief umpire. He has participated in numerous events and seminars, including one taught by General Choi Hong Hi, the founder of Taekwon-Do. He is highly trained in self-defence, close protection and urban combatives, has undertaken combat training in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, and holds international certificates in counter-surveillance and anti-surveillance, including situational awareness and behavioural profiling. He has also completed courses on the Code of Practice and Ethics for Children in Sport.