Food
Name the food staple Ireland is known for. Hint: an entire famine/blight ravaged the land when there weren’t enough to go around.
Potatoes!
What year did the first St. Patrick’s Day parade take place in Ireland?
The first Patrick’s Day parade was held in Waterford (the oldest and the fifth most populous city in the Republic of Ireland) in 1903.
When is a potato definitely not Irish?
When it's a French fry!
What three colors make up the Irish flag?
Green, White, and Orange!
What significant day in St. Patrick’s life do we celebrate on March 17th?
His holiday is celebrated on the day of his death. He passed away in 461 CE.
This English dish is traditionally eaten on St. Patrick’s Day.
On this day, people usually eat corned beef and cabbage, and they wear green. However, corned beef is an English dish and not Irish. The Irish Traditionally used bacon!
This American River has been dyed green since the 60s.
The Chicago River (the system of rivers and canals has a combined length of 156 miles) is dyed green on this day (since 1962). However, the first year when the river was dyed green, 100 pounds of vegetable dye was released into the river. This kept the river green for almost a week. However, today, they use only 40 lbs of the green dye to color the river for the day to keep the environmental damages in check. Now, the dye lasts for about 5 hours.
Why can't you borrow money from a leprechaun?
They're always a little short!
These mischievous male faeries don’t just come out in March. Who are they?
The Leprechauns made their debut in the 8th century when legends of tiny water-dwellers began circulating among the celts.
During and after his captivity Patrick turned to the Catholic faith. How long did he study to become a priest?
15+ years!
Before the potato was introduced, three other foods served as the tummy filling staples Ireland relied on. Name one.
Beans, peas and wheat served as mealtime staples.
Where was the first St. Patrick’s Day celebration held in the U.S.?
The first St Patrick’s Day celebration in the United States was held in Boston in 1737.
You got the lucky pick. No question
just points! Congrats!
Used to represent the holy trinity, now luck and Irish culture, this green plant can be found in the northern hemisphere.
Saint Patrick used Shamrock (a young sprig of clover) to teach the pagans about the Holy Trinity. The shamrock is now the official flower of Ireland. It is associated with St Patrick.
How old was St. Patrick when he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland?
16 years old
Not counting chickens, which livestock animal is most common in Ireland?
There are 6.9 million cows, and only 4.7 million sheep. The number of people is 6.3 million.
This traditional dance is often associated with Irish culture.
Irish step dancing, sometimes knows as riverdance, developed in the 18th and 19th centuries as an informal dance performed by highly skilled dance masters. The first step dancing was characterized by rapid, intricate steps that were essentially improvised elaborations on the slower Round and Long dances popular at the time.
Why can’t you iron a four-leaf clover?
It’s not good to press your luck.
In a patch of clover what are your odds of finding the four-leaf rarity?
Finding a four-leaf clover is considered lucky as you only have one chance in 10,000. Generally, you will find a three-leaf clover.
Supposedly these animals were banished from Ireland by St. Patrick.
One claim in history deeply associated with St Patrick is that he banished all the snakes from Ireland. However, this claim is not true because it has been discovered that the chances of survival of snakes in Ireland are minimal because of the cold conditions of the region. However, some say that the snakes represent the pagans he converted to Christianity.
What is the oldest domesticated animal in Ireland?
The pig is the oldest domesticated animal in Ireland and its presence is still widespread in the food and cooking of Ireland with sausages, bacon, gammon, and such appearing in many recipes especially Dublin coddle–considered one of Ireland’s national dishes – made from bacon, sausages, and of course, potatoes.
A common phrase used by many on this holiday; what does “Erin go Bragh” mean?
For the speakers of the language, it is known as “Gaeilge.” “Éirinn go Brách” translates to “Ireland forever.”. This is a popular Gaelic phrase that most Irish Americans are very familiar with. There is an Anglicized, misspelled version that is used more often, “Erin go Bragh,” which does not really mean anything.
What type of bow can’t a leprechaun tie?
A rainbow!
Green is the color we all know, but what was the original St. Patrick’s color?
‘Blue’ was the color associated with St Patrick before the adoption of green as the color for the festival. The color blue was featured both in the royal court and on ancient Irish flags. In 1798, the color green became officially associated with the day.
St. Patrick was not actually Irish. So where was he from?
Patrick was born to Roman parents (Calpurnius and Conchessa). He was not Irish, instead, he was English.