As a genuine Irish emigrant ( born in Wicklow) I am very proud to chair the Australia-Irish Parliamentary Friendship Group. I make a point of keeping up with what’s happening in Ireland, and visiting my extended family there as often as I can.
St Patrick’s Day (17 March ) is Ireland’s BIG Day and is celebrated across the world. Australia has the largest Irish disaspora – more than 3 million Australians claim Irish ancestry.
This year, I read this important blog on the Huffington Post that highlighted the many parallels between the famine in Ireland and events in the world today related to food security. It’s a sobering, but important read about how many people experience hunger today, and some of the reasons why.
Lessons from history are important -let’s not airbrush the events that bring shame or wrongs done because of government policies of the day.
And, to maintain the Irish sense of fun on days like this – here’s a quiz to test your knowledge of all things Irish!
Slainthe!
A 17-question Quiz for 17th March – St Patrick’s Day
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 g’ braw – 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 Wicklow B) County Mayo C) County Cork D) County Clare
7) St. Patrick drove the ________ from Ireland?
A) Kennedys B) Abbotts C) dentists D) snakes
8) Peat is?
A) An Irish society for the Promotion of Ethical Animal Treatment 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 the 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(pron. Donal Nefinn) D) Ruaidhri Ua Conchubhair (pron. Rory O’Connor)
11) Who was Ireland’s first female President?
A) Sinead O’Connor B) Mary Robinson C) Maud Gonne D) Kathleen Clarke
12) Armagh, “the orchard county”, is known for which fruit?
A) Apple B) Rhubarb C) Plum D) Pear
13) Which Irish saint is said to have discovered America a thousand years before Columbus?
A) Patrick B) Columba C) Brendan D) Malo
TRUE or FALSE
14) The “Danny Boy” lyrics added to the “Derry Air” were penned by an Englishman.
15) Irish sweaters were knit with specific family patterns to identify lost sailors.
16) Yes, there are Leprechauns.
17) When you are captured by Fairies you should eat their food with them.
ANSWERS
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 licence to distil whiskey (Irish: 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
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.
9) Kissing the Blarney Stone bestows what power? B) Gift of the Gab
When you kiss the Blarney Stone (Irish: Cloch na Blarnan) you receive the gift of the 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,) in County Cork.
10) Who was the last High King of Ireland? D) Ruaidhri Ua Conchubhair
According to Dr. Edmund Curtis, Ruaidhri Ua Conchubhair, aka 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.
12) Armagh, “the orchard County”, is known for which fruit? A) Apple
Apples have been grown in Armagh for over 3000 years – St Patrick himself is said to have planted an apple tree at Ceangoba, an ancient settlement east of Armagh City. In the early records of the Culdee Monasteries in Armagh we find that at festival times the brothers were not allowed to increase their intake of bread at meal times, but they were allowed certain treats including the apple. The importance of apple trees is made clear in the Brehon Laws:“The penalty for cutting down these is a fine of five cows, with lesser fines for cutting down the limbs or branches.” (The Apple in Ireland; Its History and Varieties, by Prof JGD Lamb)
13) Which Irish saint is said to have discovered America a thousand years before Columbus? C) Brendan
St. Brendan was an Irish monk in the 6th century. He loved to travel and was known for voyaging to Scotland, where he met St. Columba ,and to Brittany with Welsh monk, St. Malo. His epic Voyage to America took 7 years. Some say he took sixty monks, others say fourteen plus 3 non-believers. They built boats called curraghs, made from a wooden frame and leather made from dried ox hides. In 1970, Tim Severin replicated the journey, and proved that it was possible. Saint Brendan died in 578, and is now known as the Patron Saint of sailors and travellers.
TRUE or FALSE
14) 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.
15) Irish sweaters were knit with specific family patterns to identify lost sailors.
FALSE. There is no evidence or record of this being true. The belief may be traced to J.M. Synge’s play, “Riders to the Sea,” in which a dead fisherman is identified by the pattern of cables etc knitted into his jumper.
15) Yes, there are Leprechauns.
TRUE. In March 1898 young Virginia O’Hanlon, following her success in confirming the existence of Santa Claus, 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.”
17) 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.
*All information verified through various sources, including the Internet (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. I just wanted to share a bit of the Blarney.