Next Friday is Saint Paddy’s Day. In honor of the holiday, here’s a wee quiz about the man himself, the celebration, and various Irish-related topics. If you’ve been following the Celtic Moonfish blog for a while, you know there’s gonna be some questions on folklore, so get ready! The answers and scoring are below the quiz.
1. St. Patrick spent a part of his teen years
a. in the Iona monastery.
b. in the Roman army.
c. working as a slave in Ireland.
2. St. Patrick, according to legend cleared Ireland of
a. bugs
b. snakes
c. Vikings
3. Until recently, in Ireland the color _______ was associated with St. Patrick.
a. blue
b. red
c. white
4. St. Patrick is considered the patron of Ireland, but he has a female counterpart. She is
a. the goddess Danu
b. Saint Brigid of Kildare
c. Queen Maeve
5. St. Patrick is associated with shamrocks because
a. he always wore one for good luck
b. he used one to prove that the Druids didn’t possess magic.
c. he used one to teach about the Blessed Trinity
6. The difference between shamrocks and clover is
a. shamrocks always have three leaves while clover can have three or four.
b. clover always has four leaves but shamrocks can have three or four.
c. a myth, Clover and shamrocks are the same thing.
7. Leprechauns are classified as
a. dwarves
b. solitary faeries
c. trooping faeries
8. If you corner a leprechaun and he gives you silver, it will return to him. If he gives you gold
a. it will turn to dust after he gets away
b. you will be blessed
c. you will be cursed.
9. A Clurichaun is a
a. malevolent red-capped faerie who hides out in ruined castles and attacks humans
b. cousin to the leprechaun. He takes up residence in people’s basements and spends his time getting drunk and causing mischief.
c. synonym for a leprechaun. The term is used primarily in the west of Ireland.
10. The national symbol of Ireland is
a. the shamrock and shillelagh
b. a lamb in a green field
c. a harp
11. Erin go braugh means
a. Ireland forever
b. Ireland my home
c. Ireland, my mother
12. St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17th because
a. it coincides with the ancient Celtic festival of the first day of spring
b. the Christian holiday replaced the day dedicated to the goddess Danu
c. that is the saint’s feast day on the Roman Catholic calendar.
13. Corned beef and cabbage is
a. a traditional Irish dish to usher in spring
b. Irish American in origin.
14. Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish that is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Colcannon is
a. a fish stew featuring haddock
b. mashed potatoes and cabbage
c. corned beef with boiled potatoes and scallions
15. Soda bread is
a. an ancient Irish loaf. Its key ingredient is sarsaparilla
b. bread made with Guinness
c. a quick bread usually with raisins and, sometimes, caraway seeds
16. Why do some people say, “Happy St. Paddy’s Day” rather than “Happy St. Patty’s”?
a. because the Irish often pronounce t like d.
b. because the Irish name equivalent of Patrick is Padraig
c. no one knows.
17. Céad mílle fáilte means
a. Happy Holiday
b. a hundred thousand welcomes
c. a million blessings
The ANSWERS
1. c. He was not Irish. St. Patrick was kidnapped and enslaved by the Irish. He escaped then returned later as a missionary to work to convert the Irish to Christianity.
2. b.
3. a.
4. b. St. Brigid has been co-patroness of Ireland for a long time but, recently, a new bank holiday was created in her honor. See my post “Why Brigid” for details.
5. c
6. a.
7. b.
8. a. Tricky little buggers, leprechauns!
9. b.
10. c.
11. a.
12. c.
13. b. The cabbage is an Irish staple. Corned beef is not.
14. b.
15. c
16. b.
17. b.
How'd You SCORE?
13-17 correct: Sure and your blood flows emerald green!
8-12 correct: Your Irish relatives are proud of you.
4-7 correct: Your Irish cousins will be pretending not to know you.
0-3 correct: We’ll pretend this never happened and not speak of it again.
Thanks for reading. The blog is moving from once a week to bi-monthly for a bit, so have a Happy St. Paddy’s Day next Friday! I hope to see you back here March 24th.
Slan go foil!
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