Food Rules and Rituals - Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2023 - Mark McWilliams
Irish Harvest Rituals and Customs: A Study of Food in Irish Folklore Archives
Food Rules and Rituals - Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2023 - Mark McWilliams
Caitríona Nic Philibín [+]
Caitríona Nic Philibín did her doctoral work at Technological University Dublin and was
recently was awarded an IRC GOI Postgraduate Research Scholarship.
Description
Lughnasa, the Irish term for August and the third of the four quarter days in the Irish calendar, heralds the beginning of autumn. It marks the promise of the ‘first fruits’ of the harvest and a plentiful supply of food on the horizon to fill depleted larders. Lughnasa is inextricably linked to food production, storage and consumption, however, food-specific studies are in their infancy. Its connection to the harvest compels investigation into the rules, rituals and customs surrounding this celebration. This paper utilises a combination of food studies, folklore studies and archival research to highlight Irish food traditions.