Ahh, Those Silly Irish! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pleistocene

The Pleistocene epoch lasted from about 2,600,000 to about 12,000 years BP. The word Pleistocene comes from two Greek words pleistos meaning 'most' and kainos meaning 'new'. The Holocene epoch immediately followed the Pleistocene and covers from the Mesolithic Age or Middle Stone Age up through modern human history.

At the end of the Pleistocene epoch, Ireland was covered in a 3000 meter thick sheet of ice before it eventually retreated. There is no evidence of human settlement on the island prior to this time period because the action of this ice sheet on the land would have wiped it out. It has been postulated however, that humans may have inhabited Ireland prior to the last ice age based on evidence found in the extreme south of Britain that escaped the ice sheets of the last ice age. Still no conclusive proof exists of human presence on the island prior to the last ice age.

Answer: Before Present

The abbreviation BP stands for "Before Present" and came into existence as a result of the development of the use of carbon dating. In 1949, Willard Libby developed the use of carbon-14 to determine the age of something by the rate of decay the carbon undergoes. This then established 1950 as the date of the 'Present'. Everything before that is dated as BP. But these raw BP dates do not correlate directly to calendar dates without calibration that takes into account the fact that atmospheric carbon has not been consistent over the millennia and the affect of atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons after 1950. This calibration allows the raw BP data to be translated into calendar dating. BP is used extensively in prehistory studies both of a geological and archeological nature.

Since about 525 AD the abbreviation and AD (Anno Domini) have been used to designate the years in history after the birth of Christ. (The use of BC began later). In the last two centuries or so, BCE (Before the Common or Current Era) and CE (Common or Current Era) began to replace BC and AD respectively. Today the Smithsonian prefers the BCE/CE nomenclature but the substitution is not universally embraced and both sets of abbreviations are still used.

Answer: Mount Sandel

It is believed that humans first came to Ireland around 8000 BC during the Mesolithic era. Although this earlier date is suspected, the earliest evidence for human habitation comes from charcoal remains found at Woodpark in County Sligo that date to 7490 BC. Another site at Lough Boora in County Offaly dates to around 6800 BC but again no structures or permanent settlement buildings were found. It is believed it was a temporary camp site, most probably a summer one.

The oldest settlement evidence has been found at Mount Sandel in County Derry and dates back to 7000 BC. This site also shows signs of consistent habitation and possible rebuilding of structures. It is located near the iron age site of Mount Sandel Fort (Kill Santain or Kilsandel). The fort site is believed to have been the residence of the Norman king John de Courcy in the 12th century AD.

Answer: Scotland

Scholars believe that the most likely scenario for humans coming to Ireland is via Scotland either by land bridge or boat. Although most scholars accept that Ireland was probably cut off from the rest of Europe by rising sea levels by the time of the arrival of the first humans, there is speculation that land bridges may have re-emerged for short periods of time both in the south of the island through the Irish Sea and in the north connecting what is now County Antrim with Scotland.

But this theory is not universally accepted and there is no concrete proof for it.

The other and more likely possibility is that they arrived in County Antrim via boat from Scotland. These first settlers seem to have stayed either along the coast or along waterways, lakes, and rivers for ease of travel and forage.

The interior was not penetrated until much later.

Answer: Neolithic

The hunter-gatherer era or the Mesolithic in Ireland lasted from about 8000 BC to 4000 BC when the Neolithic period began. There is no hard and fast time frame for either as human development happens more gradually but there is a definite change around this time. The Neolithic started much earlier in Europe, from about 6000 BC, and spread to Ireland starting in about 4500 BC. This gives us a transition period of about 500 years between the Mesolithic and Neolithic ages in Ireland.

One of the best preserved sites from the Neolithic period in Ireland is found in County Mayo at the Céide Fields. The site is the oldest known field system in the world and was used from about 3500 BC to about 3000 BC. The system was preserved under a blanket of peat. It consisted of fields divided by dry-stone walls. Also found on the site were houses and megalithic tombs.

Answer: Megalith

Mega comes from the Greek 'mega-' meaning 'large' or 'great' and '-lith' comes from the Geek 'lithos' meaning 'stone'. The appearance of megalithic tombs during the Neolithic period is one of the most visible and lasting developments of the period. Throughout Ireland there are over 1,200 known megalithic tombs. These consist of four basic types -
1) Court tombs: the oldest of the four
2) Passage tombs: the smallest group among the four but also the most impressive
3) Portal tombs: also called 'dolmens'
4) Wedge tombs: the most widespread and most numerous of the four.

The Newgrange passage tomb is one of the most impressive of these megalithic monuments and is a World Heritage Site. It dates from around 3200 BC and is one of the oldest astronomically aligned monuments in the world. During the Winter Solstice, the sun's first rays will illuminate the burial chamber at the center of the monument.

Answer: Ballybeg

Ballybeg is both a generic term and a specific term. It comes from the Gaelic 'Baile Beag' which literally means 'Little Town'. For the first 500 years of the Bronze Age metal work was done in copper solely, hence the name of this time period the Copper Age (2500 to 2000 BC). Ballybeg flat axes first appeared around 2000 BC with the addition of tin to copper and the formulation of bronze. Although these axes are the most iconic pieces of metalwork to come from the time period, bronze and copper were used to make all kinds of tools and weapons. These include swords, other axes, daggers, hatchets, awls, halberds, and drinking utensils. One other iconic item came from this time period - the horn-shaped trumpet, which was made using a process called cire perdue or lost wax. This was a process by which the trumpet was made using a cast.

Brian Friel, an award-winning, internationally renowned playwright, set works such as "Philadelphia Here I Come!", "Translations", and "Dancing at Lughnasa" in Ballybeg. It is believed his inspiration for this fictional town was the town of Glenties near where he lived. During its early existence the town was a stop between the established towns of Ballybofey and Killybegs. It would appear that Friel got the idea for Ballybeg by combining these two names.

The most famous Ballybeg can be found in County Waterford and is a suburb of the city of Waterford, the fifth largest city in Ireland. It has been described as a village within the city because it has all its own amenities.

Answer: La Tène

The Irish spelling of artifacts (aka artefacts) is used here because it is after all an Irish quiz. The National Museum of Ireland website claims the work is "not only the finest example of Irish La Tène goldworking, but, by comparison with similar artefacts, it is unsurpassed anywhere in Europe." Although the Broighter Hoard is so highly regarded, it is one of the rare examples of Celtic Art from the period found in Ireland, a fact that puzzles historians and archeologists both because of the quality of the pieces and the extent of Celtic influence during the time period.

The Iron Age in Ireland (500 BC to 400 AD) corresponds to the coming of the Celtic culture to the island. The Celtic influence first came to Britain and from there to Ireland, most likely crossing from Scotland to Northern Ireland and downward as is considered to have been the earlier migration pattern of humans during the Mesolithic era (8000 to 7000 BC). Although the Celtic culture may have come from Britain, linguistically there is a divergence between Ireland and Britain. Two views are held to account for this prehistoric development of the different language groups. One holds that the difference is due to successive invasions bringing different forms of Celtic: P-Celtic vs. Q-Celtic. The other holds one language (Insular Celtic) split off from Proto-Celtic and then split into British and Primitive Irish. Whichever is the case, two distinct language groups developed: the Goidelic or Gaelic languages and the Brythonic or Brittonic languages. Irish is part of the Gaelic languages along with Manx and Scottish Gaelic.

Answer: No

The extent to which Roman influence reached Ireland is a subject of great debate. Let's start with what is known for certain. First, Ireland (Hibernia to the Romans) was never a part of the Roman Empire. There is no historical record of the island ever being conquered and subjugated by Rome, unlike Britain. Second, no Roman roads have ever been found on the island and no other Roman ruins of a more substantial nature. Although there is possible evidence of a Roman fort or post of some kind at Drumanagh, this find is the subject of great debate. Some maintain it was a fort while others merely a trading outpost. There is definitely not evidence to support the assertion of as many as ten forts in the region. If Roman occupation had been extensive, finds of a more substantial nature would clearly be expected. These facts, however, do not mean that Roman influence was not felt on the island, especially with its closeness to Roman Britain. So let's look at the extent of this Roman influence on the island.

There is clear evidence of a commercial relationship between Ireland and Roman Britain. Roman coins and jewelry have been found in both the south and central parts of the island. Roman geographer Ptolemy's cooridinates of Hibernia from the 2nd century AD show surprisingly accurate detail that most probably came from merchants. This map included town, rivers, tribes, and headlands.

There is definite evidence of Roman military influence on the island but the extent of it is unclear. Roman historian Tacitus mentions Roman general Agricola believed Hibernia could have been conquered with a legion and some auxiliaries (6,000 men) and even kept an exiled Irish prince around as a possible pretext for invasion but never reports anything coming of this. He does mention Agricola may have made either a punitive raid or an exploratory raid in 81 AD but again nothing more came of this. Some have postulated that the legendary character Túathal Techtmar, may have been this prince who was with Agricola and that the Romans supported his return to Ireland with arms but not men. There is evidence that Techtmar may have been an actual historic figure and he may indeed have returned to Ireland perhaps aided by the Romans. Again none of this is definitive. The only definitive fact is that no Roman general ever conquered Ireland the way Britain had been conquered.

The final way Rome influenced Ireland was culturally and religiously. There is evidence of cultural exchanges between Ireland and Roman Britain both through trade and raids between the islands. Some have even speculated that slaves were taken from Ireland to work in Britain during the first centuries AD. There is also evidence of Christians being in Ireland well before 400 AD, the date mentioned as the end of prehistoric Ireland and the beginning of a recorded history.

Answer: Christianity

The appointment of Palladius as the first bishop to Irish Christians in 431 AD by Pope Celestine I is considered the beginning of Irish recorded history. Prior to this time is considered Ireland's prehistory but within that time frame is something called Ireland's protohistory.

Towards the end of the prehistoric period, Ireland came under the notice of the Greeks and the Romans and is therefore mentioned in context to them but still did not have a history of its own. This is Ireland's protohistory. The first mention of Ireland comes from Greek historians Diodorus Siculus and Strabo (1st century BC and 1st century AD) who both claimed the inhabitants were cannibals. Julius Caesar was the first to call Ireland Hibernia in his "Commentarii de Bello Gallico". Roman historian Tacitus mentions Hibernia in regards to General Agricola and the poet Juvenal may have described a Roman military expedition to Ireland. The most important mention of Hibernia though comes from the geographer Ptolemy who describes "six promontories, fifteen river mouths, ten settlements and nine islands, and naming sixteen population groups." (Source: Philip Freeman, "Ireland and the Classical World", 2001)

Another development during the protohistory was a proto-literate period consisting of ogham epigraphy. Ogham is an alphabet that uses tree names to describe individual letters. Ogham epigraphy is the study of inscriptions made using this ancient alphabet. There are about 400 of these inscriptions found mainly in southern Ireland and some in Britain. They are mainly found in Counties Kerry, Cork and Waterford.