Irish in America Trivia Quiz

Answer: Walt Disney

Walt Disney was born in 1901 and was of Irish ancestry on his father's side. He became one of the best known motion picture producers in the world. Among his many accomplishments are his innovations in animation and theme parks, including the creation of iconic cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

Answer: Maureen O'Hara

Maureen O'Hara was an Irish born actress most associated with John Wayne in the classic film "The Quiet Man". When attempting to obtain American citizenship she was asked to renounce her sovereignty to Great Britain. O'Hara replied that she could not renounce what she never had and a trial ensued on the spot with the judge finally agreeing that her nationality be listed as Irish.

Answer: 22

There have been 22 US presidents that claim Irish Ancestry--half of all US Presidents. John F. Kennedy was the first Irish Catholic president.

Answer: Annie Moore

Annie Moore was the first emigrant to come through the brand new immigration building, Ellis Island. She came on the ship Nevada from Cobh, Ireland. The press made much of the "rosy cheeked Irish Lass" who was given a gold Liberty coin. For several years the public thought Annie Moore was a pioneer and romanticized figure.

She married a German baker and spent her life in Lower East Side tenements in New York City.

Answer: nearly 1 million

Nearly one million Irish emigrated during the Great Famine. The Irish from the Great Potato Famine were unlike those Irish that emigrated previously. The Irish that came after 1846 were mainly Catholic and unskilled peasants who spoke little English.This affected the perception of the Irish people in America for many years to come.

Answer: Mary Higgins Clark

Mary Higgins Clark was born to Irish immigrants who owned a pub in the Bronx, in NY. Higgins Clark has sold over 80 million copies of her mystery suspense novels since 1974. Higgins Clark considers herself a proud Irish Catholic and was inducted into the Irish America Hall of Fame in 2011.

Answer: The White House

James Hoban was born in Ireland c.1762 and died in Washington DC 1831. George Washington encouraged him to participate in a contest to design the White House. James Hoban won and the rest is history- It took 8 years to build it. He even supervised its reconstruction after the War of 1812.

Answer: Margaret Mitchell

Margaret Mitchell wrote and received a Pulitzer Prize for "Gone With The Wind", the epic novel of the Civil War and slavery. Decades after her death it became known that she began a private campaign of donation and was responsible for sending as many as 70-80 black men through medical school.

Answer: Gene Kelly

Gene Kelly, whose maternal grandfather was an immigrant from Derry, Ireland became known as a dancer, director, and producer in musicals such as "Singing in the Rain", and "An American In Paris". Kelly based his style of dance on masculine athleticism.

He claimed that he owed this quality to the influence of Broadway dancer/producer George Cohan, saying "I have a lot of Cohan in me. It's an Irish quality, a jaw jutting, up on the toes cockiness - which is a good quality for a male dancer to have."

Answer: Annie Sullivan

My name is Annie Sullivan. I was the oldest child of immigrant parents from County Limerick, Ireland. They were illiterate and unskilled and came to America during the Great Famine. I was visually impaired and spent my childhood in an almshouse. This upbringing made it a struggle for me to fit in when I attended Perkins school for the blind. I became best known as the teacher of Helen Keller.