St. Patrick’s Day Irish Trivia Quiz – 2011

Multiple Choice – there is only one correct answer for each question

1) What are pampooties?

A) shoes   B) pint glasses   C) wee Irish kids   d) potatoes

2) What is a bodhran?

A)  a car   B) a drum   C) a pot   D) a mythological being

3) Which Irish author did not win a Nobel Prize for Literature?

A) James Joyce   B) Seamus Heaney   C) William Butler Yeats   D) Samuel Beckett

4) What is the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery still operating?

A) Powers   B) Paddy   C) Bushmills   D) Jameson

5) Eirinn go brach (Erin go braugh – phonetic version) is Irish for?

A) Have a nice day   B) May the Road Rise to Meet You   C) Ireland forever   D) Top of the mornin’

6) The Cliffs of Moher are located in which County?

A) County Allegheny   B) County Mayo   C) County Cork   D) County Clare

7) St. Patrick drove the ________   from Ireland?

A) Kennedys   B) Rooneys   C) dentists   D) snakes

8) Peat is?

A) Ireland’s PETA   B) turf   C) the Irish version of the boy’s name Pete   D) a mythological being

9) Kissing the Blarney Stone bestows what power?

A) Mind Control   B) Gift of Gab   C) Invisibility   D) Breathing under water  

10) Who was the last High King of Ireland?

A) Brian Boru   B) Shane MacGowan   C) Domhnall Neifinn   D) Ruaidhri Ua Conchubhair

11) Who was Ireland’s first female President?

A) Sinead O’Connor   B) Mary Robinson   C) Maud Gonne   D) Kathleen Clarke

TRUE or FALSE

12) The “Danny Boy” lyrics added to the “Derry Air” were penned by an Englishman.

13) The Shovlin Irish dancers practice in Dormont.

14) Irish sweaters were knit with specific family patterns to identify lost sailors.

15) Yes, there are Leprechauns.

16) When you are captured by Fairies you should eat their food with them.

17) Art Rooney is the current U.S. Ambassador to Ireland.

SPOILER ALERT!  Answers are below.

1) What are pampooties?      A) shoes

Pampooties are traditional footwear made from a single piece of untanned hide folded around the foot and stitched with twine or a leather strap. They were worn on the Aran Islands until the 1950s.

2) What is a bodhran?    B) a drum

A bodhran (bow-rawn) is a frame drum made out of wood and goat skin.

3) Which Irish author did not win a Nobel Prize for Literature?   A) James Joyce

He has Bloomsday and fans all over the world, but alas he never won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Four Irish authors have won the prize. They are: William Butler Yeats in 1923, George Bernard Shaw in 1925, Samuel Beckett in 1969, and Seamus Heaney in 1995.

4) What is the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery still operating?   C) Bushmills

Near the town of Bushmills in County Antrim, Northern Ireland you will find The Old Bushmills Distillery. It received a license to distill whiskey (Irish: Fuisce or Uisce beatha  = water of life ) in 1608 but did not become an officially registered company until 1784.

5) Eirinn go brach (Erin go braugh – phonetic version) is Irish for? C) Ireland forever

It is a phrase or blessing pledging allegiance to Ireland.

6) The Cliffs of Moher are located in which County?  D) County Clare

Along Ireland’s west coast in County Clare, the cliffs rise over 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. They provide breathtaking views.

7) St. Patrick drove the ________   from Ireland?    D) snakes

This is a tricky one. It blurs legend, myth, belief and fact. Legend states that St. Patrick drove all snakes from Ireland. However, evidence indicates there were no snakes in Ireland. During St. Patrick’s time, Druids used serpent symbolism. The snakes most likely represent paganism, which was banished.

8) Peat is?   B) turf

Peat is formed by sods of turf harvested from bogs and is used to fuel Irish fireplaces. It is known for its long lasting heat and its pleasant aroma. (No animals, boy’s named Pete, nor mythological beings were harmed during this quiz.)

9) Kissing the Blarney Stone bestows what power?   B) Gift of Gab

When you kiss the Blarney Stone (Irish: Cloch na Blarnan) you receive the gift of gab, also known as great eloquence or skill at flattery. The Blarney Stone was built into the battlements of Blarney Castle (Irish: Caisleán na Blarnan,) which is located in County Cork, Ireland.  

10) Who was the last High King of Ireland?   D) Ruaidhri Ua Conchubhair

According to Dr. Edmund Curtis, Ruaidhri Ua Conchubhair, aka Roderick or Rory O'Connor, was High King from 1166-1186. Brian Boru, often believed to be the last High King, reigned from 1002-1014.

11) Who was Ireland’s first female President?   B) Mary Robinson

Mary Robinson (nee Bourke) was President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997. She was Ireland’s seventh president. Currently she is a member of the Elders, a group of global leaders focused on human rights.

TRUE or FALSE

12) The “Danny Boy” lyrics added to the “Derry Air” were penned by an Englishman.

TRUE. Beautiful things happen when people work together. Englishman Frederic Weatherly wrote the lyrics in 1910, originally for a different tune. In 1913, he modified them to fit the “Derry Air," when his sister-in-law in America sent him a copy. (In 1997, PBS produced an amazing documentary, “Danny Boy, In Sunshine or In Shadow.”)

13) The Shovlin Irish dancers practice in Dormont.

TRUE. Recently, there was an on the Dormont-Brookline Patch.

14) Irish sweaters were knit with specific family patterns to identify lost sailors.

FALSE. There is no evidence or record of this being true. It may trace to J.M. Synge's play, “Riders to the Sea,” in which a dead fisherman is identified by the hand-stitching on his sweater.

15) Yes, there are Leprechauns.

TRUE. In March 1898 young Virginia O’Hanlon, following her success in confirming Santa Claus’ existence, once again wrote to Francis Pharcellus Church, editor of New York’s Sun, asking him for “the truth, are there Leprechauns?” A snippet of his response reads, “Yes, Virginia, there are Leprechauns. They exist as certainly as mischief, shoe mending, practical jokes, pots of gold, three wishes, and blarney, and you know that they abound and give to the lives of the Irish Diaspora its highest beauty and joy.” Further down he wrote, “Not believe in Leprechauns! You might as well not believe in Irish Folklore, rainbows, or Guinness!” He concluded with, “No leprechauns! Thank God they live, and they live forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, they will continue to make glad the heart of Irish-hood.”

For a real Irish perspective, check out the National Leprechaun Museum. 

16) When you are captured by Fairies you should eat their food with them.

FALSE.  You should not eat the Fairies’ food. If you do so, you will be unable to leave their realm. Fairies have been enjoying a much improved image over the last century. They are now mostly known for being nice and all that, thanks to their marketing and public relations specialists. In days of yore however, they were thought to be mischievous. To avoid upsetting the fairies, they were often referred to as “the good people.” Perhaps they have simply been misunderstood.

17) Art Rooney is the current U.S. Ambassador to Ireland.

FALSE. Dan Rooney is the current U.S. Ambassador to Ireland. (FYI, the Rooneys own the Pittsburgh Steelers. But, everyone knew that. Right?)

*All information verified through various sources, including the Internet. And, you know if it is on the Internet it's true. However, there is no proof that Virginia O’Hanlon wrote to the Sun asking about Leprechauns, but it could have happened. We just wanted to share a bit of the Blarney.