- 1. Irish history is a rich tapestry weaving together tales of ancient Celts, Viking invasions, Norman conquests, and English rule. Spanning thousands of years, Ireland's history is marked by periods of conflict and resistance, poetry and myth, famine and emigration. From the prehistoric sites of Newgrange and the Hill of Tara to the Easter Rising of 1916 and the Troubles of the late 20th century, Ireland's past is a complex and fascinating story of identity, culture, and resilience.
Who was the first President of Ireland?
A) Mary Robinson
B) Michael D. Higgins
C) Douglas Hyde
D) Éamon de Valera
- 2. What event took place in 1916 that is considered a pivotal moment in Irish history?
A) Battle of the Boyne
B) Easter Rising
C) Good Friday Agreement
D) Great Famine
- 3. Which famous Irish leader was known as 'The Liberator'?
A) Éamon de Valera
B) Michael Collins
C) Daniel O'Connell
D) Gerry Adams
- 4. What year did Ireland officially declare itself a republic?
A) 1949
B) 1969
C) 1937
D) 1922
- 5. In which year did the Good Friday Agreement bring peace to Northern Ireland?
A) 1985
B) 1998
C) 1916
D) 1922
- 6. Who was the first female President of Ireland?
A) Queen Elizabeth II
B) Angela Merkel
C) Mary Robinson
D) Margaret Thatcher
- 7. What event marked the beginning of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in 1969?
A) Omagh bombing
B) Bloody Sunday
C) Battle of the Bogside
D) Downing Street Declaration
- 8. What year did Ireland gain its independence from Britain?
A) 1916
B) 1949
C) 1801
D) 1922
- 9. Who was known as 'The Father of the Land League' for his work in agricultural reform in Ireland?
A) Michael Davitt
B) Charles Stewart Parnell
C) Padraig Pearse
D) Arthur Griffith
- 10. What is the name of the historic political agreement that aimed to resolve the conflict in Northern Ireland?
A) Belfast Agreement
B) St. Andrews Agreement
C) Good Friday Agreement
D) Dublin Accord
- 11. What Irish pirate was known for his exploits along the coast of the Americas in the 16th century?
A) Captain Kidd
B) Blackbeard
C) Grace O'Malley
D) Anne Bonny
- 12. Who was the founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in 1884?
A) Michael Cusack
B) Eoin MacNeill
C) Patrick Pearse
D) Croke Park
- 13. What is the Irish name for the Great Famine that occurred in the mid-19th century?
A) The Hunger
B) The Potato Blight
C) An Gorta Mór
D) Black '47
- 14. In what year did Ireland join the European Union?
A) 2001
B) 1973
C) 1960
D) 1992
- 15. Which Irish leader played a significant role in the negotiation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921?
A) Michael Collins
B) James Connolly
C) Éamon de Valera
D) Arthur Griffith
- 16. What year was the Easter Rising in Dublin led by Irish republicans against British rule?
A) 1932
B) 1916
C) 1922
D) 1941
- 17. What is the meaning of the name 'Treaty of Limerick'?
A) A peace agreement between Irish and Viking forces in the 9th century
B) A treaty signed in 1691 that ended the Williamite War in Ireland
C) A treaty signed in 1921 between Britain and Ireland for independence
D) A treaty that established the Irish Free State in 1922
- 18. What Irish king is known for his victory over the Vikings at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014?
A) Cormac Mac Airt
B) Mael Sechnaill II
C) Brian Boru
D) Niall of the Nine Hostages
- 19. What was the name of the law passed by the British in the 17th century to restrict the power of the Irish Catholic majority?
A) Act of Union
B) Plantation of Ulster
C) Penal Laws
D) Statute of Kilkenny
- 20. What influential historical figure established the monastic settlement of Glendalough in the 6th century?
A) St. Kevin
B) Columbanus
C) St. Patrick
D) Brendan the Navigator
- 21. Which Irish landmark was built around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids?
A) Blarney Castle
B) Newgrange
C) Bunratty Castle
D) The Rock of Cashel
- 22. Who was the last High King of Ireland before the Norman invasion?
A) Cú Chulainn
B) Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair
C) Brian Boru
D) Niall of the Nine Hostages
- 23. Which Irish Nobel laureate is known for his play 'Waiting for Godot'?
A) Samuel Beckett
B) William Butler Yeats
C) Seamus Heaney
D) George Bernard Shaw
- 24. Who was the leader of the Irish Citizen Army during the Easter Rising?
A) Countess Markievicz
B) James Connolly
C) Padraig Pearse
D) Éamon de Valera
- 25. Who famously penned the Irish rebel song 'The Foggy Dew'?
A) Canon Charles O'Neill
B) The Dubliners
C) Wolfe Tones
D) Christy Moore
- 26. In what year did the Great Famine ravage Ireland?
A) 1845-1852
B) 1779-1783
C) 1601-1603
D) 1689-1691
- 27. Which Irish author wrote the novel 'Ulysses', considered a masterpiece of modernist literature?
A) Oscar Wilde
B) James Joyce
C) Samuel Beckett
D) Bram Stoker
- 28. Which Viking king founded the city of Dublin in the 9th century?
A) Erik Bloodaxe
B) Ivar the Boneless
C) Olaf the White
D) Sigtrygg Silkbeard
- 29. Which Irish leader signed the Good Friday Agreement in 1998?
A) Bertie Ahern
B) Gerry Adams
C) Ian Paisley
D) Martin McGuinness
- 30. What was the name of the paramilitary organization founded by Michael Collins during the War of Independence?
A) Sinn Féin
B) The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
C) The Black and Tans
D) The Irish Republican Army (IRA)
- 31. What name is often given to the conflict in Northern Ireland between loyalists and republicans that lasted from the late 1960s to the late 1990s?
A) The Irish War
B) The Belfast Strife
C) The Northern Conflict
D) The Troubles
- 32. Which Irish musician is famous for songs like 'The Parting Glass' and 'Rocky Road to Dublin'?
A) Bono
B) Hozier
C) Luke Kelly
D) Enya
- 33. Who led the Irish independence movement and later became the first President of Ireland?
A) James Connolly
B) Michael Collins
C) Éamon de Valera
D) Charles Stewart Parnell
- 34. Which political party in Ireland was founded in 1926 by Éamon de Valera after he left Sinn Féin?
A) Social Democrats
B) Fine Gael
C) Labour Party
D) Fianna Fáil
- 35. In which year was the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry, Northern Ireland?
A) 1981
B) 2003
C) 1972
D) 1998
- 36. Which Irish saint is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century?
A) Saint Patrick
B) Saint Brigid
C) Saint Brendan
D) Saint Columba
- 37. Which famous book was written by James Joyce and is set in Dublin?
A) Ulysses
B) To Kill a Mockingbird
C) Dracula
D) Pride and Prejudice
- 38. Which Irish musician is known for hits like 'Brown Eyed Girl' and 'Moondance'?
A) U2
B) Enya
C) Van Morrison
D) Hozier
- 39. What year did Northern Ireland officially come into existence as a separate entity?
A) 1921
B) 1916
C) 1969
D) 1949
- 40. Which Irish writer was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923?
A) George Bernard Shaw
B) Bram Stoker
C) Samuel Beckett
D) William Butler Yeats
- 41. Which famous ship sank off the coast of Cork in 1915, leading to the loss of over a thousand lives?
A) The Britannic
B) The Titanic
C) The Lusitania
D) The RMS Oceanic
- 42. In which county did the Battle of the Boyne take place in 1690?
A) County Antrim
B) County Wexford
C) County Tyrone
D) County Meath
- 43. Which of the following cities is the capital of the Republic of Ireland?
A) Galway
B) Cork
C) Belfast
D) Dublin
- 44. Who was the leader of the Provisional Sinn Féin party during the Troubles in Northern Ireland?
A) Martin McGuinness
B) Ian Paisley
C) Gerry Adams
D) Bobby Sands
- 45. Which event marked the beginning of the Irish War of Independence in 1919?
A) The Soloheadbeg Ambush
B) The Anglo-Irish Treaty
C) The Easter Rising
D) The Battle of O'Connell Street
- 46. In 1845, what event devastated Ireland, leading to mass starvation and emigration?
A) The Irish Rebellion
B) The Easter Rising
C) The Great Famine
D) The Plantation of Ulster
- 47. The peace wall separating Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods in Belfast is known as?
A) The Conflict Line
B) The Division Wall
C) The Peace Line
D) The Barrier
- 48. Who was the British monarch responsible for the forced planting of Scottish and English settlers in Ulster in the 17th century?
A) Elizabeth I
B) Charles I
C) James I
D) Henry VIII
- 49. Who was the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland when it was established in 1921?
A) David Lloyd George
B) James Craig
C) Edward Carson
D) Michael Collins
- 50. What is the name of the ancient Irish symbol of a three-leafed plant, often associated with good luck?
A) Shamrock
B) Thistle
C) Daffodil
D) Four-leaf Clover
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