Pawprint

Issue date: 3/9/10 Section: Entertainment

Test your luck and knowledge on Ireland's history and culture!

Questions:
1. Kissing the Blarney Stone will give you what?
a) Health and prosperity
b) The gift of speech
c) Good fortune

2. There are no snakes in Ireland because. . .
a) St. Patrick drove them out
b) They died out
c) That is a trick question!

3. Where did the idea of a corn beef come from?
a) New York City
b) Dublin, Ireland
c) Galway City, Ireland

4. Which ancient symbol originates from the very early Celts
a) Arrow
b) Spiral
c) Crescent moon

5. The shamrock is a symbol of
a) Catholicism
b) Rebirth of spring
c) Opposition to the English

6. Which instrument was used in Irish warfare?
a) Bodhran ( a type of drum)
b) Mandolin
c) Flute

7. What is a sure way to track down a leprechaun?
a) Listen to the leprechaun hammering away at shoes
b) Follow its shadow
c) Look under clover

8. Which song is about the potato famine?
a) "Tooralooraloora"
b) "Fields of Athenry"
c) "My Wild Irish Rose"

9. Which famous author was born in Ireland?
a) Oscar Wilde
b) Arthur Miller
c) William Golding

10. Which law(s) do not exist in Ireland?
a) Smoking bans
b) Death penalty
c) Hunting laws


Answers:
1. b. According to the most accepted legend, a King saved an old witch from drowning. She thanked him with the magic bluestone that when kissed would give him speech to win the favor of all around.

2. c. Snakes never existed in Ireland. Many people misunderstand what St. Patrick meant by "snakes". He meant it metaphorically about the druids, preachers of the pagan religion.

3. a. New York City's Irish immigrants picked up that corn beef was an inexpensive meat from their Jewish neighbors.

4. b. The spiral is an ancient symbol that came from the druids. The spiral is said to be about the balance between inner and outer consciousness.

5. All are correct. Shamrock was used as a symbol of the three persons and one God that St. Patrick preached to the Irish people. Shamrocks have always symbolized the coming of spring. The Celts called shamrocks "seamroy". The Shamrock has long been a symbol of Ireland's spirit. The English despised the shamrock because of that and its Catholic meaning going against their Protestant beliefs. More the reason, the Irish identify themselves with the shamrock.

6. a. Bodran was primarily played in times of war.

7. a. Leprechauns are shoemakers. If they are running, they move too fast for any human to see them.

8. b. This sad song retells the story of a man being torn from his lover. He tried to steal from a farmer because of the famine. He is sentenced to board a ship never to see his family again. Irish prisoners were sent to Australia.

9. a. Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland on October 16, 1854.

10. b. There is no death penalty in Ireland.

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