A very happy St.Patrick's Day to all my Irish friends. Here's a quiz which will make any native Irishman laugh. It is also a chance for you Irish Americans to show off what you know about Ireland. Good luck to all of you. Slainte!

So, you know about Ireland, do you?

1.        The Taoiseach is:

a). A measure of Irish whisky

b). The body controlling Irish sport

c). The Irish Prime Minister

d). A famous monument overlooking Dublin
        
2.        Michael Collins was:

a). Killed by political rivals.

b). Hanged by the British in 1753

c). The British Ambassador to Ireland

d). A Chairman of the Ulster Unionist Party

3.        Hurling is:

a). Dublin slang for a brawl

b). An Irish sport

c). The custom of throwing out old clothes on Good Friday

d). A renowned Distillery town about a hundred miles West of Cork

4.        The Craic is:

a). The stretch of water between mainland UK and Ireland

b). The code of ethics for all Irish sports

c). The storage procedure for Irish whisky

d). A good time

        5. The Battle of the Boyne:
                  
a). Was a heroic action fought by Irish troops in Belgium in 1944

b). Deposed King James II in 169

c). Was a notoriously violent riot after a soccer game against England in 1962

d). Was a fantasy film starring Peter O'Toole in 1968

        6. Jackie Charlton was:

a). The first chairman of Guinness

b). The manager of Ireland's 1990 World Cup Football team

c). Hanged in Dublin as a highwayman in 1837

d). The first Irish cardinal

         7. An eejit is:

a). An idiot

b). A small filter used in the brewing of Guinness

c). A member of Ireland's elite fighting troops

d). A Dublin street hawker

8.        Liffy water is:

a). A perfume

b). Guinness

c). A dangerous current in Bantry Bay

d). An embarrassing ailment

           9.   Mary Robinson was:

                a). President of Ireland

                b). A famous Irish children's author

                c). Presenter of a TV cookery series

               d). Ireland's first woman in space

         10). Dana was:

               a). The first Irish model in a Playboy centrefold

                b). A Eurovision Song Contest winner

                c). Prime Minister of Ireland

               d). A swimmer who won an Olympic gold medal for Ireland


         11. Molly Malone:

                 a). Was the madame in a notorious Dublin brothel.

                 b). Invented a famous potato dish

                c). Was Ireland's greatest ever 200m runner

                d). Was a mythical character in a song

           
        12. The Reverend Ian Paisley is:

                 a). A gay rights activist

                 b). The Primate of all Ireland

                 c).   A UN High Commissioner for Refugees

                 d).   The leader of an Ulster Unionist Party.

13.        The Ulster Unionists:

a). Want a union of 32 Irish counties

b). Want the Republic to unite with the UK

c).   Want the North to be part of the UK

d).   Are only concerned with trade union rights.

14.        The Dail is:

a).   The Irish constitution

b).   The Republic's main left wing political party

c).    The lower house of the Irish parliament

d).    The Irish President.

         15). Fine Gael is:

            a). A set of protocols which guides the Irish parliament

            b). One of the Republic's main political parties

            c). The period during which elections are held

            d). The Gaelic name for the Ulster Unionists.


        16). The population of Ireland is:

                  a). Over 40 million

                 b). 20 million

                 c). 10 million

                 d). Under 4 million

        17). St. Patrick's Day is on:

                   a). March 1

                   b). March 17

                   c). April 23

                   d). November 28

18.        Poteen is:

          a). A recess of the Irish parliament

           b). An illegal spirit

          c).   A sweet cake baked in the West of Ireland

          d).   The large area of land to the East of Belfast.

19.        Sir Roger Casement was:

a). An Irish patriot hanged by the British in 1916

b). A brutal British governor – recalled in 1930

c). A renowned Irish interior decorator

d). The first manager of the Irish football team

20.        The Gardai is:

a). A helmet worn when playing Gaelic football

b). The unofficial name of the IRA

c). The Irish Police Force

d). A renowned Irish infantry regiment