Today is St Patrick's Day and you've likely noticed a lot of people wearing the green and affecting the brogue. Everyone in the world is Irish today, hence the extra security at all the British embassies. Today, the DA begins this ethnic transformation with a quiz about all things Irish. We realize that some people taking this quiz are as Irish as Gengis Khan and probably couldn't care less. However, these holidays come once (or, in our case, twice) a year.
So, don the emerald threads, dance a gigue (no English speaker is
permitted to spell that word correctly), give a tip of the hat, and then engage in a dozen other activities that will give you an excuse to not have to take this silly Irish quiz.
1. St. Patrick (yes, he was a real person) was NOT Irish. He was
a. American
b. Roman
c. British (ha ha)
d. Sumerian
2. About ____________________ people worldwide can claim some Irish
ancestry
a. 30 million
b. 70 million
c. 130 million
d. 6.3 billion
3. What lies on top of Irish coffee?
a. (censored)
b. (censored)
c. (censored)
d. cream
4. In the legend of Fianna, Tír Na Nóg was the land of _______________
a. Typos
b. Pixie spirits
c. Eternal youth
d. Dragons
5. Which ONE of the following books was not written by an Irish
author?
a. Dracula
b. Gulliver's Travels
c. Dubliners
d. The Picture of Dorian Gray
e. Actually, they were ALL written by Irish authors
6. The Irish shipyard Harland & Wolff is famous because:
a. ..it was the site where the Titanic was built
b. ..it holds the record for being the location where the
greatest number of warships have been constructed
c. ..it was mentioned in three James Joyce novels
d. ..it shares the name of one of Ireland's best selling beers
7. Which of the following statements about Ireland seem strange, but
are actually true? (Could be more than one)
a. Ireland has palm trees
b. The original Guinesss brewery has a 9,000 year lease on its
property
c. The "Irish fairy" was a real lady named Catherine Kelly,
who died in the late 18th century. She received her nickname because
she was only 34 inches tall
d. Irish police are required by law to offer a "consoling pint"
of beer to the people they arrest. Most police officers ignore this
ancient requirement.
8. What were the Children of Lir turned into?a. the adults of Lir
b. swans
c. banshees
d. phookas
9. What does the circle in the center of the Celtic Cross represent?
a. the moon
b. the sun
c. Earth
d. nothing.
10. When did Dublin celebrate its 1000th birthday?
a. 1988
b. 1993
c. 2000
d. 2003
ANSWERS
1. Here is where we will give credit for TWO answers! b. Roman and c. British
The missionary who would become St. Patrick was born in the late 4th century AD in what is called Roman Britain, a part of Britain that remained under Roman Empire control until the early 5th century.
2. b. 70 million
This is a difficult number to pin down. Many people will have some Irish ancestry even if their names aren't Irish, of course. Due to mass migrations, particularly to America, Irish people and their culture disseminated throughout many parts of the world.
3. d. cream
4. c. Eternal youth
5. e. Actually, they were ALL written by Irish authors
Yes, "Dracula" was written by an Irishman named Bram Stoker: an author whose fame has been eclipsed by his own character.
6. a. ..it was the site where the Titanic was built
7. The first three are all true. The fourth one is false, but a
popular idea, nevertheless
a. Ireland has palm trees
b. The original Guinesss brewery has a 9,000 year lease on its
property
c. The "Irish fairy" was a real lady named Catherine Kelly,
who died in the late 18th century. She received her nickname because she was only 34 inches tall
8. b. swans
9. b. the sun
10. a. 1988
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