Republic of Ireland - Essentials Quiz

Answer: No

The northeastern part of Ireland, often referred to as 'Ulster' or 'Northern Ireland' is an integral part of the UK - The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. (The most northerly point of mainland Ireland, Malin Head, is however in County Donegal, which is in the Republic).

Answer: Dublin

In Irish Gaelic the name is Baile Atha Cliath. The population of the city is about 530,000 and of the metropolitan area just over one million.

Answer: 26,600 sq. miles

The area of Northern Ireland is 5,452 sq. miles, so the area of Ireland as whole is just over 32,000 sq. miles.

Answer: 4.8 million

The population of Northern Ireland is about 1.8 million, and so the population of Ireland as a whole is about 6.6 million. In the early 1820s, before the notorious potato famine of 1846, the population of Ireland as a whole was about 8 million. About 1 million people died in the potato famine and an even greater number emigrated to various parts of the world, especially the USA.

Answer: 1922

The Irish Free State was established following a singularly vicious war in 1919-21 between Britain (and the Ulster Protestants) on the one hand and the predominantly Roman Catholic population of Ireland on the other. The Irish Free State was, at least nominally, a dominion, owing ill defined allegiance to Britain, but to all practical intents and purposes it was an independent country.

Answer: St. George's Channel

The Bristol Channel is the body of water separating South Wales from the coast of Somerset, N. Devon and N. Cornwall. (The other two are simply fictitious distractors).

Answer: Euro

This became the currency on 1.1.1999. In the Republic of Ireland it continued to be denominated in the Irish Punt until the Euro notes and coins came into circulation on 1.1.2002.

Answer: Coal mining

Ireland as a whole has few coal deposits. High quality glassware is made in Waterford. Agriculture, tourism and brewing are all important sources of income.

Answer: The Celtic Tiger

This prolonged boom raised living standards in the Republic of Ireland to about the same level as those in most of the more prosperous West European countries. However, this boom proved unsustainable and living standards have fallen sharply since 2008. The term 'The Emerald Isle' for Ireland is much older and relates to the landscape, not the economy.

Answer: 1973

The Republic of Ireland joined the then European Economic Community (as it then was) in 1973 - at the same time as Britain and Denmark.