A Stranger to the Emerald Isle Quiz

Answer: Blarney Castle

The Blarney Stone can be found in Blarney Castle in the town of Blarney in the county of Cork. The castle is about 600 years old. Kissing the stone is said to give one great eloquence (the gift of gab).

Answer: Yes

Brought originally from New Zealand in the late 1800s, the cabbage palm (Cordyline australis) is not a true palm but looks enough like one to be considered so by the general public. They have been planted throughout Ireland and have managed to spread by themselves.

It is because of warm winds picked up from the Gulf Stream traveling in the North Atlantic that Ireland's temperature stays warm enough to facilitate the plants' growth.

Answer: Belfast

Belfast is the administrative capital of Northern Ireland. As well as a center of the Irish linen industry, Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries built the Titanic, Olympic and Britannic and many other ships in the 20th century, making Belfast one of the largest shipbuilding centers in the world.

Answer: the Burren

The Burren is one of the largest karst landscapes in Europe. The large limestone pavements support alpine, Mediterranean and arctic plants side-by-side. Three-fourths of Ireland's flower species are found in the 155 sq. mi/250 sq. km area. While it is in a large national park, it is also a bit remote. The nearest town of size is Galway, about 24 mi/39 km to the northwest.

Answer: Newgrange

Built around 3200 BC, Newgrange is in County Meath, in the northeast of Ireland. It is a circular dirt mound covering an acre and edged with large stone slabs; there is a passageway and rooms inside. Its purpose is unknown, but it is speculated that it has religious significance; the passageway points directly at the rising sun on the Winter solstice.

It is between 200 and 1,000 years older than Stonehenge or the Great Pyramid of Giza in the Egyptian pyramids.

Answer: a tourist route

The Ring of Kerry is a 111 mi/179 km tourist route in County Kerry. Among the sights are old houses, castles and points of interest. There are several walking and cycling paths along the way.

Answer: Derry

The conflict known as "The Troubles" caused much bloodshed and heartache for almost 30 years before being settled in the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998. In Derry on "Bloody Sunday", January 30, 1972, 26 civil rights demonstrators were shot by British soldiers; 14 died. You can now tour the Museum of Free Derry and follow the "Troubles" tourist route.

Answer: Cliffs of Moher

While three of these cities face the Irish Sea on Ireland's east coast, the Cliffs of Moher tower above the North Atlantic on the west side. Named for an 18th century fort, the cliffs tower as much as 700 ft/214 m above the ocean. Sir Cornelius O'Brien built a tower near the midpoint of the cliffs in 1835 for the hundreds of tourists that frequented the area at the time. From there it is possible to view the Aran Islands in Galway Bay, 12.6 mi/20 km distant.

Answer: Guinness

The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin is a seven-story building detailing the history of the business Arthur Guinness founded in 1759. It gives an idea of the brewing process, has displays of Guinness advertising over the centuries, and has a tasting room. The center atrium is in the shape of a Guinness pint beer glass. If filled, the atrium could hold 14.3 million pints.

Answer: Giant's Causeway

In Country Antrim in Northern Ireland you will find the Giant's Causeway, an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns formed 50 to 60 million years ago by a volcano which erupted on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The tallest are 39 ft./12 m. and descend into the ocean.

They were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. It is a popular tourist attraction where visitors can walk across the columns.