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How Well Do You Know Ireland?

By: Torrance Grey

3 min

How Well Do You Know Ireland?

Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

Ireland, the Emerald Isle ... A large number of Americans, Canadians, and Australians claim at least partial ancestry from this storied country (maybe more than actually have any Irish blood, frankly!) More than that, Ireland is a perpetually popular vacation destination, with visitors eager to see its medieval castles, green countryside, and homey pubs.

Ireland has given the world some of its most extraordinarily talented artists, painters, actors, and musicians. It's also given us Bushmills whiskey and Guinness beer, clog dancing, and more specifically, "Riverdance." (Not all of us were grateful for that last one, tbh). But there are also misconceptions about Ireland. Is corned beef and cabbage really an Irish dish? What about shepherd's pie? Is your favorite "Irish" actor really Irish, or secretly British or Welsh? Are there really no snakes on the Emerald Isle? Was Finn MacCool a real person?

To help you get to the bottom of these misconceptions, or to prove your Irish savvy, we've created a quiz on the geography of Ireland, its history, its culture, and its famous people. So pour yourself a pint of Guinness, and settle in! (Note: this quiz is about the island overall. So in a question involving Irish cities, for example, an answer choice should not be rejected because it lies in Northern Ireland, not the Republic of Ireland).

What is the name of the Irish language?

Celtic

Gaelic

Don't let them hear you say there's no Irish language! Gaelic, like many of the world's indigenous languages, was in danger of dying out. But today, it's mandatory to study in Irish schools.

Euskara

There is no Irish language

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What is the Gaelic name for Ireland?

Alba

Eire

Not surprisingly, the correct choice is "Eire." "Alba" and "Scotia" are alternate names for Scotland, while "Cymru" is Wales in the Welsh language.

Cymru

Scotia

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Which of these is NOT a city in Ireland?

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital of Wales. Waterford, meanwhile, is home to the famous type of crystal.

Cork

Dublin

Waterford

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Which of these is the capital of the Republic of Ireland?

Cork

Dublin

Dublin was actually founded by Viking invaders, and has been in foreign hands for much of its history. Nonetheless, it is the center of the Republic's civic life and culture.

Limerick

Belfast

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How many provinces does Ireland have?

Three

Four

The most famous province is Ulster, because of the strife in Northern Ireland. The other three are Munster, Leinster and Connaught. The provinces are now cultural entities, not actual political ones. Think of "the South" and "the Midwest" in America.

Five

Six

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What makes up the crust on a shepherd's pie?

Amaranth

Cornmeal

Mashed potatoes

A shepherd's pie is a pot pie with mashed or whipped potatoes smoothed over the top. This replaces the traditional pie crust made from wheat.

There is none

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From what people are the Irish descended?

Aryans

Celts

The Celts originated in continental Europe, not the British Isles. But they're now overwhelmingly associated with the Isles, and Ireland particularly. Just witness the "Celtic music" section of your local music store.

Tatars

Igbo

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Which of these animals does Ireland not have?

Foxes

Wolves

Snakes

Both #2 and #3

Many people know the legend of St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland. Lesser known is that wolves are now extinct there. Hunting was the cause of that.

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The Irish bred the world's _______ dog.

fastest

smartest

smallest

tallest

Ireland gave the world the Irish wolfhound. As the name suggests, it was bred to hunt wolves -- and its size was necessary for that task.

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Which of these separates Ireland from the rest of the UK?

The Aran Sea

The Irish Sea

St. George's Channel

The North Channel

All of these

#2, #3, and #4

The body of water between Ireland and the mainland UK changes names as you go south, from "the North Channel" to "the Irish Sea" to "St. George's Channel." But there is no "Aran Sea."

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The "Great Famine" of 1845 - 1849 was caused by the failure of which crop?

Corn

Hops

Potato

The "Great Famine" is known outside Ireland as the "Irish Potato Famine," because a main cause was potato blight. Many rural families were dependent on the potato as a cheap food source, and were unprepared to survive without it.

Wheat

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By what name was the 1916 rebellion called?

Days of Awe

Easter Rising

Ireland recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Rising. The festivities were complete with such tourist items as "Choclamation" bars (a play on the "Easter Proclamation," the manifesto that accompanied the rebellion).

Easter Uprising

Insurrection

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What event happened in 1921?

The IRA was founded

Ireland was partitioned into north and south

To say "north and south" doesn't quite express it -- geographically, Northern Ireland is quite small compared to the Republic. And the Republic of Ireland is a sovereign nation, whereas Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.

James Joyce was born

The Great Famine ended

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Which of these is NOT a traditional Irish food?

Corned beef and cabbage

That's right, corned beef and cabbage is actually an Irish-American creation. In that sense, it's like pizza, which is often mistaken for Italian food.

Irish stew

Soda bread

Coddle

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What is Sinn Fein?

A castle on the Irish Sea

A university

A political party

Sinn Fein was founded in 1905, and survived a split in 1970 (with a large number of members leaving to become the Workers' Party of Ireland). Sinn Fein is known for its left-wing politics and affiliation with the Irish Republican Army.

An indie rock group

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What does the name "Sinn Fein" mean?

"The People"

"The Land"

"One Country"

"We Ourselves"

Sinn Fein's name reflected the desire for self-rule that was achieved with the founding of the Republic.

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Who was president of Sinn Fein from 1983 to early 2018?

Gerry Adams

Gerry Adams was a longtime power broker in Irish politics, even surviving an assassination attempt in 1984. He was replaced as Sinn Fein's president by Mary McDonald in February 2018.

Bobby Sands

John Major

Rory O'Malley

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Which of these Irish cities is furthest north?

Cork

Derry

Derry is a city in Northern Ireland, at a latitude of 55 degrees north. It's farther north even than the Northern Irish capital of Belfast.

Galway

Limerick

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How many counties make up Northern Ireland?

One

Three

Four

Northern Ireland comprises only four counties. This is as opposed to 26 in the Republic of Ireland, which is substantially bigger.

Seven

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"Rashers" is the Irish word for what?

Eczema

Easter lilies

Men on the make

Bacon

Yup, if you order "bacon" in an Irish diner, you might get a blank stare from the waitress. It's worth knowing what's what on Irish menus, so you don't end up with something you didn't mean to order.

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What are Dail Eireann and Seanad Eireann?

Cemeteries in Dublin

Houses of Parliament

These are the lower and upper houses, respectively, of the parliament of the Republic. The parliament overall is called the "Oireachtas" in Gaelic.

Celtic goddesses

Types of bread

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Technically, what kind of beer is Guinness?

Cider

IPA

Light beer

Stout

Light beer? Bite your tongue. Guinness is a dark, full-bodied stout. No word on whether it's actually "good for you," as its posters claimed.

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Which of these celebrities is NOT Irish?

Sinead O'Connor

Seamus Heaney

Liam Neeson

Mads Mikkelsen

Mikkelsen is Danish. O'Connor is an Irish singer and Neeson an actor, while Seamus Heaney was the well-known poet who gave the world a new translation of "Beowulf" in 1999.

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In legend, who was Finn Mac Cool?

A priest

A warrior and hunter

Finn Mac Cool is a simpler spelling of Fionn Mac Cumhiall. This epic figure in Irish folklore is said to now sleep in a cave, waiting to awaken in Ireland's hour of greatest need. (Oh yeah? Where was he when Michael Flatley inflicted "Riverdance" on the world?)

A wise druid

Father of all the leprechauns

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Which of these cities is farthest south?

Dublin

Galway

Sligo

Waterford

All of these cities are in the Republic of Ireland. Waterford, a port city, is located in the southeast.

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When was Bushmills Whiskey founded?

1608

1784

1885

It depends how you count

All the above dates are important: the date of the granting of its first license, the date the distillery in Antrim County was built, and the date the existing distillery was rebuilt after a fire. Naturally, Bushmills puts the 1608 date on its labels. Any way you slice it, it's a venerable old business, and more than 100,000 people tour the distillery every year.

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Off which coast would you find the Aran Islands?

East

North

South

West

The Aran Islands are west of Galway Bay. Their names are Inishmore, Inishmaan, and Inisheer.

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What is the name of the conflict in Northern Ireland from about 1969 to 1997?

Three Decades Clash

Soft War

Ulster Rising

Troubles

"The Troubles" was the somewhat euphemistic name for the clash between North Ireland's loyalists (mostly Protestant) and those who supported a united independent Ireland (mostly Catholic). The Troubles came to an end with the passage of the Belfast Agreement, which included the decommissioning of paramilitary groups on both sides.

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Which of these is the most successful Irish music act of all time?

The Cranberries

Boyzone

U2

U2 is the heavyweight here, as measured in sales of recorded music and concert tickets. They're not done making music yet, either.

Van Morrison

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What is the difference between white pudding and black pudding?

Black pudding is made with pig's blood

Yes, this is where tourists' claims to want "an authentic Irish dining experience" usually stop -- at black pudding. It's made from pork, pig's blood and oats.

White pudding is more expensive

White pudding has milk in it

One is made in Northern Ireland, the other in the Republic

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Which of these ingredients does not belong in coddle?

Bacon

Eggs

Of course, people do experiment in the kitchen, particularly in the days of fusion cuisine. But this Irish comfort food is traditionally made with bacon, sausage, potatoes and onion.

Potatoes

Sausage

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Which of these writers wrote Finnegans Wake, The Dubliners and Ulysses?

Seamus Heaney

James Joyce

Joyce was a giant in the modernist movement. He spent much of his adult life in continental Europe, but wrote mostly about the city of Dublin.

Liam O'Flaherty

William Butler Yeats

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Maud Gonne was the muse of which Irish poet?

Christy Brown

Louis MacNeice

Patrick Pearse

W.B. Yeats

Yeats proposed to Gonne several times, and was always rejected. The sticking point between them was that he was not as committed to the cause of Irish independence as she was.

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Dublin stands at the mouth of which river?

Corrib

Liffey

If you're visiting Dublin, you can cross the Liffey on the Samuel Beckett Bridge. It's named for one of Ireland's more prominent poet-playwrights.

Louth

Leinster

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Which of these universities would you find in Dublin?

University of Aberdeen

Oxford University

Trinity College

This can be a little confusing, as there's also a Trinity College as part of Cambridge University in England. In a similar fashion, the University of Dublin established a college, Trinity College -- but since no other colleges were founded there, "Trinity College" and "University of Dublin" mean the same thing.

University of St. Andrews

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