MORE IRISH TRIVIA

 Irish Trivia Continued

Country

• The Gulf Stream moderates west coast temperatures.
• Seaweed is harvested for use in the cosmetic industry.
• Oysters are found in Galway Bay.
• There are huge seabird colonies. The gannet mates for life and returns to the old nest each year. They have a long white beak, yellow on their head and black outlines on their face.
• The first settlers stayed along the coast because of impregnable forests.
• Christianity came to Ireland in the 15^th century and in the 16^th century Oliver Cromwell destroyed the churches.
• The River Shannon is the longest at 230 miles.
• The highest mountain is 3414 feet.
• They say it rains in Ireland only two times a week, Monday to Thursday and Friday to Sunday.
• The west coast gets much more rain than the east coast.
• The countryside is a vibrant emerald green.
• Dry set short stone walls are seen all over the countryside.
• In the countryside drivers are very courteous on the very narrow roads.
• Mail trucks and post offices are green.
• Slate roofs seem to be the norm, although new ones are synthetic look-alikes.
• Rocky coasts and large tides have prevented a lot of harbors from developing.

Odds and Ends

• President Kennedy’s great grandfather came from Ireland.
• Andrew Jackson is the only US president not born in the United States. He was born in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in 1767 on an emigrant ship taking his parents from Carrigfergus, County Antrim.
• Hundreds of the 1197 victims in the Lusitania sinking are buried in Cohb (pronounced cove).
• Many well known authors and poets including James Joyce, Yeats, and Jonathan Swift called Ireland home.
• The famous Waterford glass factory is the largest in the world and hosts 3000 visitors every week!
• John Holland from Liscomb invented the submarine.
• The old and new mix well. Buildings are only three stories high.

SOME IRISH TRIVIA

 Good to Know Trivia

• Burning peat in homes emitting its distinctive aroma is common.
• Celts used hanging moss as toilet paper eons ago.
• The tapping of the foot is called riding the boat.
• In an Irish wake the body remains above ground for a week.
• An Irish ceilidh (pronounced cay lee—the dh in Gaelic is silent) involves Irish music, song and dance.
• Signs are in both Gaelic and English. Gaelic is learned in school and tests are given in Gaelic.
• There is no definitive yes or no in the Irish language.
• Getting to know the Irish is like finding a friend for life.
• The Irish love any excuse for a party and the country is legendary for its craic (good fun). Festivals and fairs are a massive part of Irish cultural life.
• In the Republic of Ireland 95% of the people are Catholic.
• Divorce was not legal until 1995.
• Birth control was not allowed until the 1980s.
• Celtic designs represent eternity and leave a story telling legacy.
• The faster an Irishman talks, the heavier the bough and the harder to understand.
• Fish and chips are a common menu item.
• 99 ice cream is popular everywhere.
• The thousands of sheep are marked with the owner’s colored grease mark.
• Counties all have colors and display such flags everywhere for all kinds of events.
• No bother is a common expression.
• A well known Irish comedian says, “That’s a good one. Write it down.”
• Shay la la means another story.

Drinking

• Poteen is moonshine made from peat.
• Irish whiskey with cloves, sugar, lemon and hot water is called hot powers.
• Ireland is as famous for its castles as it is for the national drink, Guinness.
• Water of life is Irish whisky.
• Downing a pint is equivalent to ingesting the most complete vegetarian meal in the world.
• Women imbibe a half-pint, not a full pint---that is left to the men.