Gotham has long carried on a love affair with all things Irish. Hard-bitten New Yorkers melt at the sound of a Celtic brogue, swoon at the sight of naturally red curls, flock to hear the bittersweet tales of the life and luck of the story-telling Irish. But we don't give much thought to the food of the hospitable Celts. Who knew that the Emerald Isle sheltered top toques boasting rave reviews and Michelin stars? We Beard House culinary savants, of course, and so, we're bringing Ian McAndrew and Shaun Smith-Roberts, luminaries of the Irish fine-dining scene, to the House, where they'll be joined by David McInerney, proud Irish-American and chef at One if by Land, Two if by Sea. The event is supported by the makers of Celtic Crossing Irish Liqueur, a special blend of Irish spirits and Cognac created in honor of the millions of Celts who have crossed the oceans and shared their vibrant cultural heritage with the world.

McAndrew has fired the stoves in the kitchens of Anton Mosimann and Bernard Gaume. He won his first Michelin star as chef at Eastwell Manor in Kent. Two years later, he opened Restaurant Seventy-Four, and another Michelin star followed. Since then, he has opened Restaurant One Sixteen in London and the Boathouse Brasserie in Southampton, and served as executive chef at the prestigious Adare Manor in County Limerick. He has published two well-received cookbooks, Poultry and Game and A Feast of Fish, with a third due out this spring.

Smith-Roberts, the scion of a County Derry hotel family, was sous-chef at Anton Mosimann's Michelin-starred Cavaliers, and his résumé includes stages at George Blanc's Michelin three-star La Mère Blanc and Roger Vergé's Moulin de Mougins. He earned high-flying reviews as executive chef at the highly acclaimed Mustard Seed in Adare, Ireland. Then he struck out on his own with MacCloskeys in County Clare. The respected Bridgestone Guide named MacCloskeys the best restaurant in the country in 1996 and 1997, calling Smith-Roberts a chef "who has the modern idiom tapped. [T]his is great cooking," it declared, "memorably and deliciously achieved."

McInernery, a CIA grad from Bellport, Long Island, found his way into the kitchen of the Boca Raton Hotel under Jean Mergen, a "Meilleur Ouvrier de France" chef. With Mergen's help, he went to France and put in two years at the Michelin three-star restaurant Bernard Loiseau in Burgundy, becoming the first American cook to earn a salary there. He was poissonier at Bouley, then chef at Restaurant Raphaël. At the age of 27, he took over the stoves at One if by Land, Two if by Sea. The restaurant has won a DiRoNA award and a fair amount of press on McInerney's watch. As Arthur Boehm wrote in The Cooking School News, at One if by Land, "things have taken a turn for the new and delicious. McInerney's food is full of bright, clear flavors." His cooking is "both rustic and luxurious."

McAndrew and Smith-Roberts have, for the moment, left the kitchen to launch their popular website, Repertoire: A Culinary Workstation, but they'll come out of retirement to team up with McInerney for this very special event. There'll be no need to search for the pots of culinary gold at this Eire celebration, where Irish eyes will most definitely be smiling.