Feile is the Irish word for feast or festival, a celebration. The duty of hospitality and a love of feasting and celebration is a deeply ingrained and ancient characteristic of Irish society.

From the Oyster Festival in Galway to the Strawberry Festival in Wexford, from St. Patrick’s Day to Michaelmas, from Christmas pudding to food for wakes, the background folklore given for each recipe is as vibrantly interesting as the recipes themselves: Spring Tonic Nettle Soup takes its place near a St. Valentine’s recipe for Chocolate Almond Tart; the colorful cocktail recipe Irish Flag nestles next to two hearty recipes for Colcannon (one with kale and one with cabbage); Peat Moss-Smoked Beef Filet precedes a Whiskey Cream Christening Cake.