Why Do People Kiss the Blarney Stone?: . . . And 176 Other Fascinating Irish Trivia Questions
258
Why Do People Kiss the Blarney Stone?: . . . And 176 Other Fascinating Irish Trivia Questions
258Overview
Brew yourself a cuppa and settle in to discover...Why Do People Kiss the Blarney Stone? It's the closest you can feel to the Emerald Isle without boarding a plane! You'll tickle your noggin with spirited questions, including:
How did a white bull start a war? What is Brian Boru's connection to Guinness? Why was 1847 known as Black '47? Where does peat come from? What's so special about the Book of Kells?
This terrific little tome provides the answers to those questions and many more. With information on Irish history, mythology, and culture, you'll be able to go on and on about anything and everything about The Old Sod.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781440560064 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Simon & Schuster |
| Publication date: | 02/13/2024 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 258 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Introduction 11
Part 1 Early Ireland 13
Why would early Irish settlers need snowshoes? 14
What's the importance of Ireland's stone tools? 15
What are fairy mounds? 16
How did the early Irish bury their dead? 17
Why did grave robbers loot Boyne Palace? 19
Why were bronze and gold life-changing on the Emerald Isle? 20
What role did Britain play in creating a Celtic Ireland? 21
Part 2 The Rise of Celts and Kings 23
Who were the Celts? 24
How many provinces does Ireland have? 25
How could the warp-spasm give you an edge in battle? 27
Why is Tara the seat of kings? 28
Why are there so many forts in Ireland? 28
What were the Brehon laws? 29
Did the druids practice magic? 31
Why were Celtic craftsmen so highly regarded? 32
How did poets keep Celtic culture alive? 33
Did the Romans ever conquer Ireland? 34
Part 3 Celtic Mythology 37
Who were the Celtic gods? 38
Who were the Celtic goddesses? 39
How were the gods and goddesses celebrated? 41
What is the Mythological Cycle? 42
Why did Noah's descendants invade Ireland? 42
Who were the Tuatha Dé Danaan? 43
How did a prophecy pick Ireland's next leader? 46
How did a white bull start a war? 46
Who was the Celtic Achilles? 48
Why does the name Deirdre mean "sadness" or "sorrow"? 51
How can sucking your thumb lead to boundless knowledge? 52
Part 4 Christianity on Celtic Shores 55
Who was St. Patrick? 56
Did Patrick really chase the snakes from Ireland? 59
What is St. Brigid's connection to leprosy? 60
How did St. Brigid offend the Catholic Church? 61
How many people did Columcille convert to Christianity? 62
What Irish saint was a missionary to Europe? 64
Which saint lived in a tree? 66
Which saint washed up in Ireland after a shipwreck? 66
Which illuminated manuscript was named after a St. Ciaran's cow? 67
Which saint was known as "the navigator"? 67
What modern holiday did Samhain inspire? 68
What was threefold martyrdom and why did the Irish practice it? 69
Why was being a hermit difficult in medieval Ireland? 70
Why didn't medieval monks get much sleep? 71
Why did the Irish learn Latin? 72
What were the duties of monastic students? 74
How did Irish monks get carpal tunnel syndrome? 75
What are illuminated texts? 76
What's so special about the Book of Kells? 77
How did the Vikings end Ireland's Golden Age? 78
Part 5 The Rise of the Vikings 81
How did the Rock of Cashel get its name? 82
Why aren't a lot of Celtic words used in the English language? 83
What battle techniques did the Vikings use to subdue Ireland? 84
How did the monks protect themselves from the Viking invasion? 85
Did the Vikings really wear horned helmets? 86
Why was Dublin built as a military town? 86
How did trade integrate the Vikings into Irish society? 89
How did Brian Boru become Ireland's high king? 90
Why was Brian Boru hailed as a national hero? 91
What is Brian Boru's connection to Guinness? 93
What repercussions did Brian Boru's victory have on Ireland? 93
Part 6 Enter the British 95
Were the English invited to Ireland? 96
How did the Irish take back the country? 98
Why did the "Lord of Ireland" kill Ireland's most powerful family? 100
How did Henry VIII initiate nearly 500 years of religious upheaval in Ireland? 101
How did Elizabeth I spark "the Flight of the Earls"? 102
What is the Ulster Plantation? 103
Why did the British think the Irish were barbaric? 103
How did Oliver Cromwell come into power? 104
How did Oliver Cromwell crush the Irish resistance? 105
How did a battle between two British kings start the Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland? 107
Part 7 The Protestant Ascendancy and the Roman Catholic Church 109
Why were some Protestant aristocrats absentee landlords? 110
Why did the penal laws ban Irish culture and music? 111
Why did Catholics pray at Mass stones? 112
What Irish city became a center of art and higher education during the Ascendancy? 113
Why did Elizabeth I found Trinity College? 114
What is Protestant Irish Nationalism? 114
How did America's Revolutionary War bring Protestants and Catholics together? 116
How did the Society of United Irishmen use the poor to help its cause? 117
Why did Theobald Wolfe Tone commie suicide? 119
How did the Irish parliament vote itself out of existence? 120
What patriot was known as "the Liberator"? 121
Why did Daniel O'Connell give in to the British? 123
What is modern Catholicism like in Ireland? 124
Part 8 The Irish Potato Famine 127
What caused the Great Potato Famine? 128
What happened during "the Bad Times"? 129
How did famine victims deal with the dead? 131
How did landowners react to the crisis? 132
Who blamed overpopulation for the famine? 132
How did wearing paupers' uniforms save some people from starving? 134
Why was 1847 known as Black '47? 135
How did the government make the crisis worse? 137
How did the famine change Ireland permanently? 138
Part 9 Independence and Irish Nationalism 141
What is the Irish Nationalist Movement? 142
Who are the Manchester Martyrs? 143
What British prime minister tried to defuse Ireland's Home Rule Party? 143
How was Charles Stewart Parnell a leader in land reform? 145
What was Sinn Féin? 147
How did the Ulster Protestants derail Home Rule? 148
How did World War I lead to unrest in Ireland? 149
What was the Easter Rebellion? 151
How did Sinn Féin fight for a united Republic of Ireland? 152
Who was Éamon de Valera? 153
Who started the Irish Republican Army? 154
Who were the Black and Tans? 155
How did a peace treaty start the Irish Civil War? 156
Why did Éamon de Valera put a stop to the Irish Civil War? 157
Part 10 The Republic of Ireland 159
What was the Irish Free State? 160
How did the Irish Civil War create odd political alliances in the Irish Free State? 161
Why did the Statute of Westminster apply to Canada, India, South Africa, and the Irish Free State? 162
How did the Statute of Westminster cause the Economic War? 163
How was the nation of Éire created? 164
Why did Ireland stay neutral during World War II? 165
How did Ireland unofficially support the Allied cause? 166
When was the Republic of Ireland created? 167
How did the Ireland Act of 1949 effectively divide Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland? 168
Part 11 The Troubles 171
Why did the Flag and Emblems Act not allow Northern Ireland's citizens to fly the tricolor Irish flag? 172
Why weren't Northern Ireland's Catholics given equal rights? 173
How did the Derry March of 1968 start the Troubles? 174
How did conflict between the IRA and the British government escalate the violence of the Troubles? 175
What was Bloody Sunday? 177
Why was the Widgery report referred to as the "Widgery Whitewash"? 178
How was the Council of Ireland supposed to create a lasting peace? 179
How did the Ulster Workers' Council nullify the Council of Ireland? 180
What was the Dirty Protest? 180
Why did IRA prisoner Bobby Sands starve to death while waiting for prisoner-of-war status? 181
Where did the IRA get their weapons? 182
What was the Anglo-Irish Agreement and why did it fail? 183
Why did U.S. president Bill Clinton grant the head of Sinn Féin a visa? 184
What was the Good Friday Agreement? 186
How is the peace in Northern Ireland tested on a yearly basis? 187
What is the political structure in Ireland like today? 188
Part 12 Irish Song, Dance, and Storytelling 191
Why isn't Irish still spoken prominently? 192
What's so important about Irish music? 194
Who wrote "Danny Boy"? 196
How important is dance to Irish culture? 196
Why are Irish wakes so much fun? 198
Who are the wee folk? 198
How can you placate fairies, find love and wealth, and avert disaster? 200
What popular Irish sport was once used to train warriors? 201
How did seanachaís spin yarns? 202
How did the Brothers Grimm help record Irish folklore? 204
How did Oscar Wilde's parents keep the art of storytelling alive? 205
Why do people kiss the Blarney Stone? 206
How can you catch a leprechaun? 207
What happens when you get a florin from a fairy? 208
Why do Irish cats sleep inside? 209
Part 13 Sláinte! Food and Drink in Ireland 211
Does Ireland have a national dish? 212
Do the Irish really eat blood sausage? 212
Do the Irish love a spot of tea? 213
What's a cuppa? 214
Where does Irish tea come from? 214
Why are there kids in Irish pubs? 215
Why is Guinness so popular? 217
How do you pour the perfect pint? 218
Are there other Irish beers? 218
What's the difference between "whiskey" and "whisky"? 219
Is it legal to brew poteen? 220
Part 14 Irish Literature 221
Why did Irish writers immigrate to England? 222
What Irish author used satire to become a national hero? 222
What famous author did prejudice leave penniless? 224
What poet won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1923? 225
What revolutionary novelist exiled himself from Ireland? 227
Which Irish writer wrote primarily in French? 228
Which Irish poet is famous for translating Beowulf 229
Which Irish novelist invented the world's most famous vampire? 229
Part 15 Geography and Climate 231
Where is the sunniest part of the Emerald Isle? 232
What's so special about the Kerry Peninsula? 232
What part of Ireland helped preserve the country's culture? 233
Where's the best place to catch Irish lobster? 234
Should you pack a raincoat? 234
What are Ireland's largest lake and longest river? 235
How did deforestation affect Ireland? 235
Where does peat come from? 236
What's the Burren? 238
Did giants really build the Giant's Causeway? 239
Why is bird watching so popular in Ireland? 240
Why is Ireland famous for its horses? 241
Why is Ireland interested in preserving its natural environment? 242
Afterword 244
Appendix: A Primer of the Irish Language 245
Index 249