Professor Joseph Falaky Nagy, Henry L. Shattuck Professor of Irish Studies at Harvard University will take us on a fascinating journey of learning about Food and Fantasy in Medieval Irish Tradition.

Food and drink–as well as their preparation, preservation, distribution, and digestion–are mentioned often in medieval Irish literature, which provides us with ample information about these essentials for life and health in pre-modern Ireland. Food and foodways, however, especially when they are represented in larger-than-life or fantastic ways, also serve as powerful symbols referring to key themes in medieval Irish culture and worldview. In this talk we explore the realities and meanings of food as it appears prominently in tales such as ‘The Battle of Mag Tuired’, ‘Mac Dathó’s Pig’, and ‘The Vision of Mac Conglinne’.

Now in its fifth year, Samhain agus Science brings together researchers from DIAS and around the world for a series of free in-person and online events that take inspiration from the Celtic festival of Samhain and look at the dark side of science.

The festival aims to make the big scientific questions of our time and Celtic history relevant, accessible, and fun to a general audience who might not normally be familiar with these topics.

We hope you can join us on 27 October.