Discover Ireland: 200 Irish Trivia Questions and Answers

Are you ready to test your knowledge of Ireland? Whether you have Irish roots, love Irish culture, or just enjoy fun facts, this article is for you. We’ve gathered a collection of Irish trivia questions and answers to challenge and entertain you.

From history and geography to folklore and famous people, these questions cover a wide range of topics. Perfect for a quiz night with friends or a solo challenge, dive in and see how much you really know about the Emerald Isle. Let’s get started and have some fun with these fascinating Irish trivia questions and answers!

Irish Trivia Questions and Answers

General Irish Trivia Questions and Answers

Question 1: What is the capital city of Ireland?

Answer: Dublin.

Question 2: What is the national symbol of Ireland?

Answer: The shamrock.

Question 3: What is the official language of Ireland alongside English?

Answer: Irish (Gaelic).

Question 4: What year did Ireland become a republic?

Answer: 1949.

Question 5: What is the national holiday of Ireland celebrated on March 17th?

Answer: St. Patrick’s Day.

Question 6: What color is traditionally associated with Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day?

Answer: Green.

Question 7: What is the name of Ireland’s national airline?

Answer: Aer Lingus.

Question 8: What is the largest city in Northern Ireland?

Answer: Belfast.

Question 9: What currency is used in Ireland?

Answer: Euro.

Question 10: What famous castle is home to the Blarney Stone?

Answer: Blarney Castle.

Question 11: What is the name of the river that runs through Dublin?

Answer: River Liffey.

Question 12: What is the traditional Irish dish made with mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale?

Answer: Colcannon.

Question 13: Who is the patron saint of Ireland?

Answer: St. Patrick.

Question 14: What is the most popular sport in Ireland?

Answer: Gaelic football.

Question 15: What is the name of the traditional Irish musical instrument similar to a flute?

Answer: Tin whistle.

Question 16: What is the name of the famous Irish beer known for its dark color and creamy head?

Answer: Guinness.

Question 17: What Irish author wrote the classic novel “Ulysses”?

Answer: James Joyce.

Question 18: What is the name of the Irish festival celebrated on May 1st that marks the beginning of summer?

Answer: Beltane.

Question 19: What is the oldest university in Ireland, founded in 1592?

Answer: Trinity College Dublin.

Question 20: What is the name of the famous Irish folk song that tells the story of a young man named Michael who leaves Ireland for America?

Answer: “The Fields of Athenry.”

Irish History Trivia Questions and Answers

Question 1: When did the Easter Rising take place?

Answer: 1916.

Question 2: Who was the first High King of Ireland?

Answer: Brian Boru.

Question 3: What treaty ended the Irish War of Independence?

Answer: The Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921).

Question 4: In what year did the Great Famine begin?

Answer: 1845.

Question 5: Who led the Irish forces during the Battle of Clontarf in 1014?

Answer: Brian Boru.

Question 6: What was the main crop that failed during the Great Famine?

Answer: Potatoes.

Question 7: What was the name of the ship that famously sank in 1912 with many Irish immigrants on board?

Answer: RMS Titanic.

Question 8: Who was the leader of the Sinn Féin party that signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty?

Answer: Michael Collins.

Question 9: What historical event is commemorated by the Orange Order on July 12th?

Answer: The Battle of the Boyne.

Question 10: Which Irish political leader was executed by the British in 1916 after the Easter Rising?

Answer: Patrick Pearse.

Question 11: What was the main cause of the Irish Civil War (1922-1923)?

Answer: The division over the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

Question 12: Who was the first female President of Ireland?

Answer: Mary Robinson.

Question 13: When was the Good Friday Agreement signed?

Answer: 1998.

Question 14: Which Irish revolutionary founded the Irish Volunteers in 1913?

Answer: Eoin MacNeill.

Question 15: What year did Ireland join the European Economic Community (EEC), now the European Union (EU)?

Answer: 1973.

Question 16: Who was the Irish leader during the War of Independence?

Answer: Éamon de Valera.

Question 17: What is the name of the historic site in County Meath that is older than the pyramids of Egypt?

Answer: Newgrange.

Question 18: What Irish city was known as “Rebel City” due to its history of supporting Irish independence?

Answer: Cork.

Question 19: Who was the famous Irish playwright and Nobel Prize winner born in Dublin in 1856?

Answer: George Bernard Shaw.

Question 20: In which year did the Irish Free State become the Republic of Ireland, completely independent from the British Commonwealth?

Answer: 1949.

Irish Culture and Traditions Trivia Questions and Answers

Question 1: What is the traditional Irish sport that involves a small ball called a sliotar and a wooden stick called a hurley?

Answer: Hurling.

Question 2: What Irish holiday is celebrated on June 23rd, involving bonfires and festivities?

Answer: St. John’s Eve.

Question 3: What is the name of the traditional Irish music session held in pubs?

Answer: A céilí.

Question 4: What type of dance involves fast footwork and is performed to traditional Irish music?

Answer: Irish stepdance.

Question 5: What traditional Irish dish is made with bacon and cabbage?

Answer: Boiled bacon and cabbage.

Question 6: What is the name of the ancient Celtic festival that marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter?

Answer: Samhain.

Question 7: What is the name of the Irish holiday celebrated on March 17th in honor of Ireland’s patron saint?

Answer: St. Patrick’s Day.

Question 8: What is the traditional Irish bread made with baking soda instead of yeast?

Answer: Soda bread.

Question 9: What is the name of the Irish folktale creature known for guarding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?

Answer: Leprechaun.

Question 10: What is the name of the Irish festival that celebrates the arrival of spring on February 1st?

Answer: Imbolc.

Question 11: What is the name of the traditional Irish instrument similar to a harp?

Answer: Celtic harp (or cláirseach).

Question 12: What is the name of the Irish custom where people leave out food and drink for the fairies or spirits?

Answer: Offerings or fairy offerings.

Question 13: What type of ring, featuring two hands holding a heart topped with a crown, symbolizes love, loyalty, and friendship?

Answer: Claddagh ring.

Question 14: What is the name of the ancient Irish script used for writing the early Irish language?

Answer: Ogham.

Question 15: What is the traditional Irish event called where locals compete in singing, dancing, and storytelling?

Answer: Feis.

Question 16: What is the name of the Irish custom of storytelling, often involving myths and legends, passed down orally through generations?

Answer: Seanchas.

Question 17: What is the name of the traditional Irish harvest festival held on August 1st?

Answer: Lughnasadh.

Question 18: What is the name of the popular Irish toast often used to wish good health?

Answer: Sláinte.

Question 19: What traditional Irish knitwear is characterized by intricate patterns and originated from the Aran Islands?

Answer: Aran sweater.

Question 20: What is the name of the Irish custom of “first footing,” where the first visitor to enter a home on New Year’s Day brings good luck?

Answer: First footing.

Irish Geography Trivia Questions and Answers

Question 1: What is the largest county in Ireland by area?

Answer: County Cork.

Question 2: What is the smallest county in Ireland by area?

Answer: County Louth.

Question 3: What is the westernmost point of Ireland?

Answer: Dunmore Head.

Question 4: What is the name of the group of islands off the coast of County Galway known for their traditional Irish culture?

Answer: The Aran Islands.

Question 5: What is the name of the peninsula in County Kerry known for its scenic beauty and rugged coastline?

Answer: The Dingle Peninsula.

Question 6: Which Irish city is famous for its medieval castle and the Rock of Cashel?

Answer: Cashel, County Tipperary.

Question 7: What is the longest river entirely in Ireland?

Answer: The River Shannon.

Question 8: What is the name of the national park located in County Kerry, home to the Lakes of Killarney?

Answer: Killarney National Park.

Question 9: What mountain range runs along the border between County Kerry and County Cork?

Answer: The MacGillycuddy’s Reeks.

Question 10: What is the name of the famous cliffs located in County Clare, known for their dramatic views of the Atlantic Ocean?

Answer: The Cliffs of Moher.

Question 11: What body of water separates Ireland from Great Britain?

Answer: The Irish Sea.

Question 12: What is the name of the famous causeway located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, known for its unique basalt columns?

Answer: The Giant’s Causeway.

Question 13: What is the name of the capital city of Northern Ireland?

Answer: Belfast.

Question 14: What island lies to the southwest of Ireland and is known for its early Christian monastery founded by St. Columba?

Answer: Skellig Michael.

Question 15: What lake, located in County Fermanagh, is the largest lake in Ireland and the British Isles by surface area?

Answer: Lough Neagh.

Question 16: What is the name of the bay located on the west coast of Ireland, famous for its oysters?

Answer: Galway Bay.

Question 17: What is the name of the limestone region in County Clare known for its unique landscape and rich archaeological history?

Answer: The Burren.

Question 18: Which river flows through the city of Cork?

Answer: The River Lee.

Question 19: What is the name of the island off the coast of Dublin, known for its wildlife and walking trails?

Answer: Howth Head (or Howth Peninsula).

Question 20: What is the name of the coastal road in Northern Ireland that offers scenic views and passes through nine glens?

Answer: The Antrim Coast Road (part of the Causeway Coastal Route).

Famous Irish People Trivia Questions and Answers

Question 1: Who is the famous Irish author of “Ulysses” and “Dubliners”?

Answer: James Joyce.

Question 2: Who was the first female President of Ireland, serving from 1990 to 1997?

Answer: Mary Robinson.

Question 3: What Irish actor is best known for his role as Oskar Schindler in “Schindler’s List”?

Answer: Liam Neeson.

Question 4: Which Irish playwright wrote the play “Waiting for Godot”?

Answer: Samuel Beckett.

Question 5: Who is the lead singer of the Irish rock band U2?

Answer: Bono (Paul David Hewson).

Question 6: Which Irish actress starred in “Brooklyn” and “Lady Bird”?

Answer: Saoirse Ronan.

Question 7: Who is the Irish revolutionary and founder of the Sinn Féin political party?

Answer: Arthur Griffith.

Question 8: Which Irish scientist is known for his work on the electric telegraph and electromagnetic theory?

Answer: William Thomson, Lord Kelvin.

Question 9: Who is the famous Irish author of “Dracula”?

Answer: Bram Stoker.

Question 10: What Irish poet and playwright won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923?

Answer: W.B. Yeats.

Question 11: Who was the first Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland?

Answer: Éamon de Valera.

Question 12: Which Irish actor played James Bond in four films from 1995 to 2002?

Answer: Pierce Brosnan.

Question 13: Who is the famous Irish singer-songwriter known for hits like “Nothing Compares 2 U”?

Answer: Sinéad O’Connor.

Question 14: What Irish-American dancer and choreographer created the show “Riverdance”?

Answer: Michael Flatley.

Question 15: Which Irish philosopher is best known for his works “A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge” and “Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous”?

Answer: George Berkeley.

Question 16: Who was the first Irish woman to win an Olympic gold medal, achieving this in the 1996 Atlanta games?

Answer: Michelle Smith (swimming).

Question 17: Which Irish-born writer and satirist is famous for his novel “Gulliver’s Travels”?

Answer: Jonathan Swift.

Question 18: Who is the Irish actor known for his roles in “In Bruges” and “The Lobster”?

Answer: Colin Farrell.

Question 19: What Irish-born architect is known for designing the White House in Washington, D.C.?

Answer: James Hoban.

Question 20: Who was the Irish mathematician and physicist famous for his development of quaternions?

Answer: Sir William Rowan Hamilton.

Irish Language Trivia Questions and Answers

Question 1: What is the Irish word for “hello”?

Answer: Dia dhuit.

Question 2: How do you say “Ireland” in Irish?

Answer: Éire.

Question 3: What is the Irish word for “thank you”?

Answer: Go raibh maith agat.

Question 4: How do you say “goodbye” in Irish?

Answer: Slán.

Question 5: What is the Irish word for “family”?

Answer: Clann.

Question 6: How do you say “friend” in Irish?

Answer: Cara.

Question 7: What is the Irish word for “music”?

Answer: Ceol.

Question 8: How do you say “whiskey” in Irish?

Answer: Uisce beatha.

Question 9: What is the Irish word for “love”?

Answer: Grá.

Question 10: How do you say “school” in Irish?

Answer: Scoil.

Question 11: What is the Irish word for “teacher”?

Answer: Múinteoir.

Question 12: How do you say “water” in Irish?

Answer: Uisce.

Question 13: What is the Irish word for “welcome”?

Answer: Fáilte.

Question 14: How do you say “peace” in Irish?

Answer: Síocháin.

Question 15: What is the Irish word for “book”?

Answer: Leabhar.

Question 16: How do you say “beautiful” in Irish?

Answer: Álainn.

Question 17: What is the Irish word for “morning”?

Answer: Maidin.

Question 18: How do you say “night” in Irish?

Answer: Oíche.

Question 19: What is the Irish word for “sun”?

Answer: Grian.

Question 20: How do you say “moon” in Irish?

Answer: Gealach.

Irish Food and Drink Trivia Questions and Answers

Question 1: What is a traditional Irish stew made of?

Answer: Lamb or beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and parsley.

Question 2: What popular Irish beer is known for its dark color and creamy head?

Answer: Guinness.

Question 3: What is the main ingredient in Irish soda bread?

Answer: Baking soda (instead of yeast).

Question 4: What type of whiskey is Ireland famous for producing?

Answer: Irish whiskey.

Question 5: What is a traditional Irish breakfast typically comprised of?

Answer: Eggs, sausages, black and white pudding, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, and toast.

Question 6: What is the name of the traditional Irish dish made from mashed potatoes mixed with kale or cabbage?

Answer: Colcannon.

Question 7: What is the name of the traditional Irish fruit cake often served during holidays?

Answer: Barmbrack.

Question 8: What Irish dish is made from leftover boiled bacon, cabbage, and potatoes, typically fried together?

Answer: Bubble and Squeak.

Question 9: What is the name of the traditional Irish potato pancake?

Answer: Boxty.

Question 10: What is the name of the popular Irish liqueur made from whiskey and cream?

Answer: Baileys Irish Cream.

Question 11: What is the name of the Irish dish made with sausages and mashed potatoes topped with onion gravy?

Answer: Bangers and mash.

Question 12: What is the name of the famous Irish cheddar cheese?

Answer: Dubliner.

Question 13: What is the traditional Irish soup made with potatoes and leeks?

Answer: Potato and leek soup.

Question 14: What is the traditional Irish dessert made with bread and soaked in whiskey sauce?

Answer: Irish whiskey bread pudding.

Question 15: What is the name of the traditional Irish seaweed dish often eaten as a snack?

Answer: Dulse.

Question 16: What is the name of the traditional Irish oatcake often served with cheese?

Answer: Oatmeal farl.

Question 17: What Irish dish consists of smoked fish, mashed potatoes, and other vegetables?

Answer: Fish pie.

Question 18: What is the name of the Irish sausage made with blood, suet, and oatmeal?

Answer: Black pudding.

Question 19: What traditional Irish dish is made with corned beef and cabbage, often associated with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations?

Answer: Corned beef and cabbage.

Question 20: What is the name of the traditional Irish coffee made with whiskey, sugar, and cream?

Answer: Irish coffee.

Irish Folklore and Mythology Trivia Questions and Answers

Question 1: What is a leprechaun traditionally known for guarding?

Answer: A pot of gold.

Question 2: What mythical creature is said to haunt Irish castles and foretell death?

Answer: The banshee.

Question 3: Who is the legendary hero known for his strength and his hound, and is often compared to Hercules?

Answer: Cú Chulainn.

Question 4: What is the name of the Irish fairy folk who live underground in a mystical realm?

Answer: The Aos Sí or the Sidhe.

Question 5: What is the Irish term for a fairy mound or hill where fairies are believed to live?

Answer: A sídhe or rath.

Question 6: What mythical island is said to be a paradise and home to the Tuatha Dé Danann?

Answer: Tír na nÓg.

Question 7: What is the name of the giant who is said to have built the Giant’s Causeway?

Answer: Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool).

Question 8: What is the name of the ancient Irish festival that marks the beginning of the harvest season?

Answer: Lughnasadh.

Question 9: Who is the Irish goddess associated with war, fate, and death, often appearing as a crow?

Answer: The Morrigan.

Question 10: What is the name of the Irish sea deity who is said to rule over the Otherworld?

Answer: Manannán mac Lir.

Question 11: What is the name of the legendary Irish king who supposedly sleeps under a mountain, awaiting the call to save Ireland?

Answer: King Arthur (or sometimes Fionn mac Cumhaill).

Question 12: What Irish hero is known for his tragic love story with Deirdre, leading to his death?

Answer: Naoise.

Question 13: What is the name of the famous Irish tale about the boy who accidentally became a king by eating the Salmon of Knowledge?

Answer: The story of Fionn mac Cumhaill.

Question 14: What is the name of the Irish witch who can transform into a hare and is known for her trickery?

Answer: The Cailleach.

Question 15: What is the name of the Irish hero who is known for his voyage to the Otherworld and his adventures there?

Answer: Oisín.

Question 16: What is the Irish term for a changeling, a fairy child left in place of a human child?

Answer: Síofra.

Question 17: What is the name of the mythical Irish warrior who is said to have fallen in love with the goddess Fand?

Answer: Cú Chulainn.

Question 18: Who is the Irish goddess of the hearth, home, and family, often associated with the fire festival of Imbolc?

Answer: Brigid.

Question 19: What is the name of the magical harp that belongs to the Dagda and can control emotions?

Answer: The Uaithne (or the Harp of the Dagda).

Question 20: What is the name of the warrior band led by Fionn mac Cumhaill in Irish mythology?

Answer: The Fianna.

Irish Holidays and Festivals Trivia Questions and Answers

Question 1: When is St. Patrick’s Day celebrated?

Answer: March 17th.

Question 2: What is the name of the Irish festival celebrated on May 1st, marking the beginning of summer?

Answer: Beltane.

Question 3: Which Irish holiday is celebrated on October 31st and is the precursor to Halloween?

Answer: Samhain.

Question 4: What is the name of the festival that marks the beginning of the harvest season on August 1st?

Answer: Lughnasadh.

Question 5: What holiday on June 23rd involves bonfires and is also known as Midsummer Eve?

Answer: St. John’s Eve.

Question 6: Which Irish festival celebrates the end of winter and the coming of spring on February 1st?

Answer: Imbolc.

Question 7: What is the name of the traditional Irish celebration on December 26th, also known as St. Stephen’s Day?

Answer: Wren Day.

Question 8: What is the name of the Irish holiday on November 1st that marks the start of the winter season?

Answer: All Saints’ Day.

Question 9: What Irish national holiday commemorates the 1916 Easter Rising?

Answer: Easter Monday.

Question 10: What traditional Irish festival takes place in Galway and includes horse racing, music, and dancing?

Answer: The Galway Races.

Question 11: What is the name of the arts and music festival held in County Laois each September?

Answer: Electric Picnic.

Question 12: What festival in Dingle, County Kerry, celebrates Irish music, arts, and culture each October?

Answer: Dingle Food Festival.

Question 13: What is the name of the traditional Irish music and dance festival held annually in Ireland and around the world?

Answer: Fleadh Cheoil.

Question 14: What is the name of the festival that features the crowning of the Rose of Tralee?

Answer: The Rose of Tralee International Festival.

Question 15: What festival held in Dublin every September celebrates contemporary theatre and performance?

Answer: Dublin Theatre Festival.

Question 16: What is the name of the international film festival held annually in Dublin?

Answer: Dublin International Film Festival.

Question 17: What is the name of the festival held in Kilkenny each August that celebrates Irish humor and comedy?

Answer: Kilkenny Cat Laughs Comedy Festival.

Question 18: What is the name of the arts festival held annually in Galway that features theatre, music, and visual arts?

Answer: Galway International Arts Festival.

Question 19: What is the name of the traditional Irish sports festival held in Killarney every August?

Answer: Puck Fair.

Question 20: What is the name of the harvest festival celebrated in Ireland in August, featuring traditional music, dance, and storytelling?

Answer: National Heritage Week.

Irish Sports Trivia Questions and Answers

Question 1: What is the name of the annual Gaelic football championship in Ireland?

Answer: The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.

Question 2: Which county has won the most All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championships?

Answer: Kilkenny.

Question 3: What is the name of the stadium in Dublin that is the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA)?

Answer: Croke Park.

Question 4: Which Irish rugby player has scored the most points for the national team?

Answer: Ronan O’Gara.

Question 5: What sport is played at the famous Ballybrit Racecourse in Galway?

Answer: Horse racing.

Question 6: What is the name of the Irish golfer who won the Open Championship in 2019?

Answer: Shane Lowry.

Question 7: Which Irish boxer won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London?

Answer: Katie Taylor.

Question 8: What is the name of the annual rowing competition held on the River Liffey in Dublin?

Answer: The Liffey Descent.

Question 9: Who is the most successful Irish jockey in terms of Cheltenham Festival wins?

Answer: Ruby Walsh.

Question 10: What is the name of the trophy awarded to the winners of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship?

Answer: The Sam Maguire Cup.

Question 11: Which Irish football (soccer) team won their first major European trophy in 2022?

Answer: Shamrock Rovers.

Question 12: What is the name of the competition that features the top Gaelic football teams from different provinces in Ireland?

Answer: The Provincial Championships.

Question 13: Which Irish female golfer has won multiple LPGA major championships?

Answer: Leona Maguire.

Question 14: What is the name of the Irish snooker player who has won the World Snooker Championship?

Answer: Ken Doherty.

Question 15: In what sport did Sonia O’Sullivan win a silver medal for Ireland at the 2000 Sydney Olympics?

Answer: Athletics (5000 meters).

Question 16: What is the name of the traditional Irish stick-and-ball sport that is similar to field hockey?

Answer: Camogie.

Question 17: Which Irish cyclist won the Tour de France in 1987?

Answer: Stephen Roche.

Question 18: What is the name of the rugby team representing the four provinces of Ireland in international club competitions?

Answer: The Ireland national rugby union team (provincial teams: Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht).

Question 19: Which Irish county is known for its dominance in Gaelic football and has won the most All-Ireland Senior Football Championships?

Answer: Kerry.

Question 20: What is the name of the oldest golf club in Ireland, founded in 1881?

Answer: Royal Belfast Golf Club.