St. Patrick's Day Quiz

On St. Patrick's Day, everyone's Irish — or wants to be. Test your I.Q. — Irish Quotient — with our Irish trivia quiz and see how much you know about the Emerald Isle:

1. With a total geographical area of 27,136 square miles, Ireland is a little bit larger than which U.S. state:

a. Utah
b. Louisiana
c. West Virginia
d. Vermont

2. The island consists of the Republic of Ireland, which is an independent country, and Northern Ireland, which is part of Great Britain. Name the capitals of each of these sections.

3. TRUE or FALSE: There are about as many Americans of Irish descent in the United States as there are Irish in Ireland.

4. Ireland has a rich literary tradition that includes poets, playwrights and authors, several of whom have won the Nobel Prize. Match the following authors with their works:

a. Jonathan Swift
b. George Bernard Shaw
c. Oscar Wilde
d. William Butler Yeats
e. Samuel Beckett
f. James Joyce
g. Seamus Heaney
h. Oliver Goldsmith
i. Richard B. Sheridan
j. John M. Synge

1. "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man"
2. "The School for Scandal"
3. "The Wanderings of Oisin"
4. "Playboy of the Western World"
5. "A Modest Proposal"
6. "Death of a Naturalist"
7. "Major Barbara"
8. "Lady Wintermere's Fan"
9. "Murphy"
10. "She Stoops to Conquer"
 

5. Music, too, plays an important part in Irish culture, with everything from traditional Celtic to modern rock. Match the following groups and musicians with their albums:

a. The Dubliners
b. The Chieftains
c. The Clancy Brothers
d. Enya
e. U2
f. The Cranberries

1. "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb"
2. "Paint the Sky With Stars"
3. "Bury the Hatchet"
4. "A Parcel of Rogues"
5. "Further Down the Old Plank Road"
6. "Irish Songs of Rebellion"

6. As you might expect, Ireland's flag has green in it. Which other colors are used?

a. Yellow and white
b. Blue and red
c. Yellow and blue
d. Orange and white
 

7. Legend has it that if you kiss the Blarney Stone (which you have to do upside down and backward, by the way) you will receive the gift of gab. The stone is at Blarney Castle, near which city?

a. Killarney
b. Clare
c. Cork
d. Wexford

8. Who hasn't heard of great Irish songs such as "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" and "The Last Rose of Summer"? See if you can complete the titles for these songs:

a. Danny Boy, or the __________ Air
b. I'll Take You Home Again, _________
c. A Shawl of _________ Grey
d. The_______ of Tralee.
e. The Fields of ____________
f. Be Thou My ____________
g. ______ of the Dance
h. ________ the Ladies
i. She Moved Through the ______
j. _____ Machree
 

9. Ireland has a turbulent history with many men who performed outstanding feats or stepped to the fore. Match the following individuals with their accomplishments:

a. Finn MacCool
b. St. Brendan
c. Brian Boru
d. Daniel O'Connell
e. Eamon de Valera
f. St. Kevin
g. Turlough O'Carolan
h. Robert Emmet

1. Led an abortive rebellion in 1803
2. Organized "monster rallies" and earned the nickname "The Liberator"
3. Was a famous, blind harpist of the 18th century
4. Led the Civil War of 1921 and later became president of Ireland
5. Founded a monastery at Glendalough and was said to have lived to age 120
6. United the Irish to fight off Viking invaders in 1014
7. A sixth-century monk known as "The Navigator"
8. Known for his wisdom and strength; legend says he built the Giant's Causeway
 

10. Over the years many movies have been set in Ireland or told stories of Irish people. Can you name two?

11. St. Patrick is credited — in legend, at least — with driving the snakes out of Ireland. Which of the following are also true of St. Patrick:

a. He was called Old Shaved Head.
b. He favored leek stew.
c. He told his life story in a book of "confessions."
d. He is said to be the one who will judge all Irish people on the final Judgment Day.
e. He wrote the Book of Kells.
f. He is the patron saint of seafarers.
g. He is said to have turned the Druids' fields into bogs and kept their kettles from boiling.

12. Between 1845-49, a fungus disease wiped out Ireland's potato crop, and the resulting famine led to death by starvation of nearly a million people. Many others chose to leave their country. Approximately how many Irish came to America between 1847 and 1854?

a. 775,000
b. 1 million
c. 2 million
d. 4 million

13. TRUE or FALSE: Ireland is the only country to have a musical instrument as a national symbol.

14. The Shillelagh is an Irish club used both as a weapon and as a walking stick. The name comes from:

a. A Gaelic word for war-stick
b. An 11th-century castle with thick wooden walls near Kinsale
c. A Viking phrase used in plundering
d. An oak forest in Wicklow County

15. "Erin Go Bragh" is a phrase often heard on St. Patrick's Day. It means:

a. Ireland Forever
b. I love Ireland
c. Freedom for Ireland
d. Ireland, my home

1. c.
2. Dublin (Republic of Ireland) and Belfast (Northern Ireland).
3. False. About 34 million U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry. Ireland has a population of about 4 million.
4. a-5, b-7, c-8, d-3, e-9, f-1, g-6, h-10, i-2, j-4.
5. a-4, b-5, c-6, d-2, e-1, f-3.
6. d.
7. c.
8. a. Londonderry, b. Kathleen, c. Galway, d. Rose, e. Athenry, f. Vision, g. Lord, h. Cherish, i. Fair, j. Mother (10)
9. a-8, b-7, c-6, d-2, e-4, f-5, g-3, h-1.
10. Here are some possibilities: "Beloved Enemy" (1936), "Going My Way" (1940), "My Wild Irish Rose" (1947), "Top o' the Morning" (1949), The Last Hurrah" (1958), "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" (1959), "Ryan's Daughter" (1970), "Far and Away" (1992), "The Crying Game" (1992), "In the Name of the Father" (1994), "Michael Collins" (1966). If you can name others, give yourself credit; there are lots more.
11. a, c, d and g are true statements.
12. b.
13. True. The Irish harp is the national symbol of the country.
14. d.
15. a.

SCORING: Score one point for each correct answer.

41-50: Top o' the mornin' to ye, you've got a lot of the green in your soul.
31-40: You've earned yourself some corned beef and cabbage.
21-30: There's probably no pot of gold at the end of your rainbow.
Under 20: Better watch out for pookas and leprechauns.