Ireland Lecture Notes Flashcards

Flashcards covering the history, geography, culture, and famous figures of Ireland based on Tim Vicary's 'Ireland'.

What is the largest lake in Ireland?

Lough Neagh

What is the longest river in Ireland and how long is it?

The Shannon, which is $260\text{ km}$ long.

What is the highest mountain in Ireland?

Carrantouhill ($1,040\text{ metres}$) in the south-west.

How high are the Cliffs of Moher in the west of Ireland?

$$\text{200 metres}$$

What is the name of the strange rock formation in the north made of six-sided columns?

The Giant's Causeway

According to the transcript, who was the famous Celtic fighter who touched a fish that knew everything?

Finn Mac Cool

Who was known as 'The Hound of Ulster' after killing a dangerous dog with a hurling ball?

Cúchulainn

In the Irish language, what are the words for 'tree' and 'woman'?

Tree is 'crann' and woman is 'bean'.

In what year did St Patrick return to Ireland to teach the people about God?

432

What famous, important book, now kept in Dublin, was written by Irish writers a thousand years ago?

The Book of Kells

Who built a leather boat called Brendan in 1976 to prove an Irish churchman could have reached America?

Tim Severin

Which Viking-founded cities were built by the sea?

Dublin, Cork, Waterford, and Limerick.

What is the origin of the 'Red Hand of Ulster' according to Irish legend?

A Viking/man in a ship race cut off his own hand and threw it onto the beach to be the first to claim the land.

Which English king first called himself King of England and Ireland after his men arrived in 1169?

Henry the Second

What was the 'Plantation of Ulster'?

A plan where the kings of England took land from Catholic Irish and gave it to Protestant Englishmen and Scotsmen.

Who led the English army that killed thousands of Catholics in Drogheda in 1649?

Oliver Cromwell

How long did the Siege of Derry last?

105 days

Which Protestant king won the Battle of the Boyne in 1690?

William of Orange (often called 'King Billy')

What was the 'Act of Union' passed in 1801?

A law that made Ireland and Britain one country with one Parliament in London.

What happened in the 1840s that caused thousands of Irish people to die or emigrate to America?

The Great Hunger (potato famine) caused by something that killed the potatoes.

What does the Irish name 'Sinn Fein' mean?

'We Ourselves'

What significant event took place in Dublin on Easter Monday 1916?

Patrick Pearse and his men took the Post Office and declared Ireland a free country.

Who was the leader of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) between 1919 and 1921?

Michael Collins

What happened in Derry on 'Bloody Sunday', 30 January 1972?

British soldiers killed 14 Catholic marchers.

Who was the first man to die in the 1980 prison hunger strikes after 66 days?

Bobby Sands

What was the purpose of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement?

To end the fighting in Northern Ireland by having Catholics and Protestants work together in government.

What is the name of the river that flows through the centre of Dublin?

The River Liffey

Where is the statue of the fish-seller Molly Malone located?

Dublin

Which famous ship was built in the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast?

The Titanic

What are the names of the two large Harland and Wolff cranes in Belfast?

Samson and Goliath

In what year was Cork the European Capital of Culture?

2005

How large are the walls of Londonderry (Derry)?

They are one and a half kilometres long and nearly six metres wide.

Which city is a centre for Irish language and music, located near Connemara?

Galway

Which Irish city is world-famous for its glass production since 1783?

Waterford

Who is the author of 'Gulliver's Travels'?

Jonathan Swift

Which book by James Joyce tells the story of Leopold Bloom's single day in Dublin?

Ulysses

What is 'Bloomsday' and when is it celebrated?

It is the celebration of the day (16 June 1904) depicted in James Joyce's Ulysses.

Who won the Nobel Prize for the work 'Waiting for Godot'?

Samuel Beckett

Which Irish musician planned the Band Aid, Live Aid, and Live 8 concerts to help Africa?

Bob Geldof

Who is the lead singer of the Irish group U2?

Bono

Who won the Nobel Prize for his poems in 1995?

Seamus Heaney

How many times has Ireland won the Eurovision Song Contest?

Seven times

What is a 'céili'?

The Irish word for a party where people play music, tell stories, and dance.

What percentage of Ireland's population is under twenty-five?

Nearly 50 per cent

Who were the two women presidents of Ireland mentioned in the text?

Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese

Translate the Irish phrase 'Céad míle fáilte'.

'A hundred thousand welcomes.'