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