Cryptic (ish) Irish Counties Trivia Quiz

Answer: Limerick

Limerick is a county famous for its sport and the city of the same name is known as the treaty city. The river Shannon flows through the city before entering the sea, through the Shannon Estuary, which forms the county's northern coastline. A limerick is also a form of rhyme, usually a funny one.

Answer: Longford

This small inland county has a beautiful cathedral, renovated after a fire on Christmas Day in 2009. As you drove through the county you might indeed see a long Ford car being driven.

Answer: Laois

Laois, pronounced like "leash", has the distinction of being the only county in Ireland that does not touch a county with a coastline. In other words, it is landlocked by counties that themselves are landlocked. It is found in the midlands, one of the counties of the province of Leinster.

Answer: Mayo

Mayo is the third largest county in Ireland, with many towns, beautiful bays around its Atlantic coastline and magnificent mountains, like the famous Croagh Patrick. Mayo is the shortened word for "mayonnaise" that many people use. The Mayo Clinic is a famous medical and academic institution in the state of Minnesota, U.S.A. It is named after its founder, not the Irish county.

Answer: Meath

Get "meat" and add the letter used as the chemical symbol for hydrogen and you have the county of Meath. Known as the Royal county for its home of the ancient Kings of Ireland at Tara. It is also home to ancient burial mounds, the most famous being Newgrange at about 5000 years old.

It is in the province of Leinster, bordering Dublin and has the second shortest coastline of any Irish county, after Leitrim.

Answer: Down

In the Irish language it is known as "An Dún", meaning "The Fort". Down is a beautiful mountainous county, with the mountains of Mourne being the inspiration of a song of the same name. In the county you can find the burial place of St. Patrick in the town of Downpatrick. It is in the province of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland.

Answer: Kilkenny

Irish people often have a smile when watching South and they hear "Kill Kenny". With one less letter l, Kilkenny is a county that is famous for its success at the national sport of hurling, the fastest field game in the world. It is also the home of St. John's Castle and the magnificent Dunmore Caves.

Answer: Louth

The smallest county in Ireland, pronounced "loud", Louth is sometimes referred to as the "Wee county". It has some wonderful historical sites, such as the ancient Monasterboice and you can even see the head of a saint, Saint Oliver Plunkett, in St. Peter's Church in the town of Drogheda.

In the province of Leinster and on the east coast, it has some nice beaches and the Cooley Mountains are found on the peninsula of the same name in the north of the county.

Answer: Wicklow

The wick would be low if your candle was going out. Known as the Garden County, Wicklow is a beautiful county with its mountains and valleys. It is a county with lots of history, such as Wicklow Gaol, the site of the Battle of Aughrim and the famous monastic village of Glendalough. Being less than an hour from Dublin, it is a well worth a day trip if you ever are in that part of Ireland.

Answer: Clare

An anagram of "clear", the county of Clare is a wild rugged county, famous for the Burren and most famous for the Cliffs of Moher. They are one of Ireland's most beautiful natural attractions, drawing tourists from home and abroad. They are on Ireland's Atlantic coast and the county also has many beautiful beaches with lots of nice towns on or near the coast.

It is also famous for its traditional Irish music. You will also find entertainment shows in the famous Bunratty Castle in the county.