Season 1 - Week 2

Question 1

At the London 2012 Summer Olympics, who became the first-ever Irish female boxer to win an Olympic gold medal?

Answer 1

Katie Taylor

Question 2

Famously, Alaska and Hawaii are the two most recently-created US states, both admitted in the same year (1959). Prior to that, the two next most recent states also were both admitted in the same year (1912). Name either?

Answer 2

New Mexico / Arizona (accept either)

Question 3

What Trinidad-born rapper and singer went viral recently after tweeting that a friend of her cousin had been rendered impotent after taking the COVID-19 vaccine?

Answer 3

Nicki Minaj

Question 4

An increasingly rare phenomenon during the pandemic, what does the Internet abbreviation IRL stand for?

Answer 4

In Real Life

Question 5

The 1938 Rodgers & Hart musical The Boys from Syracuse was based on which William Shakespeare play? Characters in the original play include Adriana, Dromio of Syracuse and Dromio of Ephesus.

Answer 5

The Comedy of Errors

Question 6

In the Greek alphabet, nu is the closest equivalent to the Latin letter N, and the uppercase form of both letters is identical - however the shape of lowercase nu resembles what other letter in the Latin alphabet?

Answer 6

V

Question 7

“Sally O’Brien and the way she might look at you” was a line from a memorable 1980s TV ad campaign for what Irish alcohol brand?

Answer 7

Harp lager

Question 8

Name this American actress? Born in 1953, she has won 1 Oscar and 1 Golden Globe during her career - both for the 1980 film Melvin and Howard , in which Jason Robards played eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes. This actress’s husband is also a well-known actor and the couple have recently appeared onscreen together in multiple episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm .

Answer 8

Mary Steenburgen

Question 9

Name the Leinster hooker who in July 2021 became only the second Irish rugby player this century to score 4 tries in an international match, during Ireland’s 71-10 victory over the United States at the Aviva Stadium?

Answer 9

Ronan Kelleher

Question 10

Due to Ireland not using the pound as currency, the leading UK discount chain Poundland has instead used what trading name in Ireland since it opened its first outlets here in 2011? Their Irish chain currently consists of 78 stores nationwide.

Answer 10

Dealz

Question 11

Waiting for Godot and Endgame are among the most well-known plays written by what Irish Nobel Prizewinning writer?

Answer 11

Samuel Beckett

Question 12

Sharing its name with an American comic book character, what was the name of an early Internet technology that allowed users to search through FTP (File Transfer Protocol) archives? Invented in 1990, it even pre-dates the World Wide Web and hence is considered the first Internet search engine.

Answer 12

Archie

Question 13

In parts of the United States, “package store” is a common slang term for what type of retail
establishment?

Answer 13

Off-licence / liquor store (accept any similar answer)

Question 14

Tomorrow Never Dies and Die Another Day are among the films to have starred what actor as James Bond?

Answer 14

Pierce Brosnan

Question 15

Best known for their 90s hits such as I Useta Love Her and N17 , what Irish rock band has been fronted by Davy Carton since being founded in 1986?

Answer 15

The Saw Doctors

Question 16

Lough Mask and Lough Conn, respectively the 4th and 6th largest lakes by area in the Republic of Ireland, are both located entirely or mostly in what Irish county?

Answer 16

Mayo

Question 17

In Australia and New Zealand, “opportunity shop”, or “op shop” for short, is a common slang term for what type of retail establishment?

Answer 17

Charity shop / thrift store / second-hand shop (accept any similar answer)

Question 18

Taking its name from the intense red hue of the rocks at sunset, in what Irish county is the peninsula known as Bloody Foreland?

Answer 18

Donegal

Question 19

An increasingly common phenomenon during the pandemic, what does the Internet abbreviation WFH stand for?

Answer 19

Working From Home

Question 20

At the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, who became the second and most recent Irish female boxer to win an Olympic gold medal?

Answer 20

Kellie Harrington

Question 21

In the Greek alphabet, rho is the closest equivalent to the Latin letter R, however the shape of rho resembles what other letter in the Latin alphabet?

Answer 21

P

Question 22

What 80s singer and star of a famous YouTube meme went viral again recently after concert footage of him performing a cover version of The Smiths song This Charming Man was shared online?

Answer 22

Rick Astley

Question 23

In December 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, and has since been nicknamed “The First State”. Which of the original 13 US states was the last to ratify the constitution, 3 years later?

Answer 23

Rhode Island

Question 24

Sharing its name with a rodent native to North America, what was the name of an early Internet technology that allowed users to search, browse and retrieve documents hosted on compatible servers across the Internet? Invented in 1991, it was popular for much of the 1990s before being rendered obsolete by the World Wide Web.

Answer 24

Gopher

Question 25

“Who’s taking the horse to France?” was a line from a memorable 1990s TV ad campaign for what Irish food brand?

Answer 25

Kerrygold Butter

Question 26

Name this American actress? Born in 1945, she has won 1 Oscar and 1 Golden Globe during her career - both for the 1969 film Cactus Flower, also starring Walter Matthau and Ingrid Bergman. This actress’s partner is also a well-known actor and the couple have recently appeared on-screen together in The
Christmas Chronicles movies.

Answer 26

Goldie Haven

Question 27

Due to their name already being in use by an unrelated Irish company, the UK restaurant chain Pizza Express has instead used what trading name in Ireland since it opened its first restaurant here in 1995? Their Irish chain currently consists of 18 restaurants nationwide.

Answer 27

Milano

Question 28

Pygmalion and Saint Joan are among the most well-known plays written by what Irish Nobel Prizewinning writer?

Answer 28

George Bernard Shaw

Question 29

The 2005 jukebox musical All Shook Up featured the music of Elvis Presley - however, the plot was based on which Shakespeare play? Characters in the original play include Viola, Sebastian and Malvolio.

Answer 29

Twelfth Night

Question 30

Best known for their 80s and 90s hits such as Crazy World and This Is, what Irish rock band has been fronted by Christy Dignam since being founded in 1982?

Answer 30

Aslan

Question 31

Live and Let Die and A View to a Kill are among the films to have starred what actor as James Bond?

Answer 31

Roger Moore

Question 32

Name the Leinster winger who in August 2003 became the first Irish rugby player this century to score 4 tries in an international match, during Ireland’s 61-6 victory over Italy at Thomond Park?

Answer 32

Denis Hickie

Question 33

With a body seemingly made from a stack of white tyres, he is officially called “Bibendum”. What is the more familiar name in English of the long-running mascot of France’s biggest tyre company?

Answer 33

The Michelin Man

Question 34

A moustachioed man in a green suit and hat sipping a tankard of beer is the unnamed mascot of what Italian beer brand?

Answer 34

Birra Moretti

Question 35

Going viral online shortly after his introduction in 2018, a 7-foot tall furry orange creature with googly eyes named “Gritty” is the mascot of what American ice hockey team? (City name or team name accepted)

Answer 35

Philadelphia Flyers (accept city OR team name)

Question 36

A wolf wearing red shorts and a blue and white football shirt and orange goggles; what was the mascot of the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup? You can either give his Russian name or the English translation.

Answer 36

Zabivaka / Goalscorer (accept either - also accept striker)

Question 37

What Disney animated film features the song “I Just Can’t Wait to be King”, sung by the movie’s lead character?

Answer 37

The Lion King

Question 38

Sharing its name with an Irish county, what is the name of the fictional town in Maine frequently referenced in the works of Stephen King? Most famously, the town is the setting for his bestselling 1986 novel It .

Answer 38

Derry

Question 39

Previously based in Kansas City before the franchise relocated in the mid-1980s: which US city is currently home to NBA team the Kings?

Answer 39

Sacramento

Question 40

Sisavang Vatthana was the last king of what Asian country? He was forced to abdicate in 1975 following a Communist victory in the country’s 16-year-long civil war.

Answer 40

Laos

Question 41

Currently with over 600 million plays, what is by far the most streamed Elton John song on Spotify? This 1972 single shares its name with the 2018 biopic of Elton John’s life, starring Taron Egerton.

Answer 41

Rocketman

Question 42

Currently with over 450 million plays, what is by far the most streamed Elvis Presley song on Spotify? Originating on the soundtrack of the 1961 Elvis film Blue Hawaii , UB40 reached the top of the UK charts with a cover version of this song in 1993.

Answer 42

Can’t Help Falling in Love (accept any reasonably close answer)

Question 43

Currently with over 600 million plays, what is by far the most streamed Rolling Stones song on Spotify? Upon its release in 1966, it hit the top of the UK and US singles charts, and is notable as the first Number One pop song to feature a sitar.

Answer 43

Paint It Black

Question 44

Currently with over 700 million plays, what is by far the most streamed Beatles song on Spotify? The first track on Side B of the Abbey Road album, surprisingly the song was never physically released as a single in the UK or US, and it was not written by either John Lennon or Paul McCartney.

Answer 44

Here Comes The Sun

Question 45

We’ll believe it when we see it, but which highly successful American country singer recently revealed plans to play at least three Irish concerts in 2022, eight years after controversially cancelling a series of 5 Dublin concerts following planning issues and objections from nearby residents?

Answer 45

Garth Brooks

Question 46

Name the West Bromwich Albion and Republic of Ireland striker who last week became the first male player in seven years to score an international hat-trick for Ireland? A few days prior, he had caused a stir by admitting he had not yet been vaccinated for COVID, despite having caught the disease twice.

Answer 46

Callum Robinson

Question 47

Made from melted sugar and baking soda, what type of thin Korean honeycomb cookie has seen a worldwide spike in popularity in recent weeks following a prominent
appearance in the Netflix show Squid Game ?

Answer 47

Dalgona / Ppopgi [pronounced “pope-gi”] - accept either

Question 48

Who is the new Chancellor of Austria, sworn into office last week following the resignation of Sebastian Kurz over corruption allegations? For the past two years he had served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in Kurz’s government.

Answer 48

Alexander Schallenberg

Question 49

With a seated capacity of 82,300, what Irish sporting ground is the third-largest stadium in Europe, and the largest not to be primarily used for soccer?

Answer 49

Croke Park

Question 50

The largest stadium in Africa is the 94,000-seater FNB stadium in Johannesburg, also known as “Soccer City” or “The Calabash”. It is the home of what South African Premier Soccer League team?

Answer 50

Kaizer Chiefs

Question 51

With a seated capacity of 132,000, the Narendra Modi Stadium, formerly called the Sardar Patel Stadium, is the world’s largest cricket ground, and indeed the world’s largest sports stadium of any kind. It is located in what Indian city, the largest in the state of Gujarat?

Answer 51

Ahmedabad (also accept Motera)

Question 52

Nicknamed “The Big House”, the 107,000-capacity Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor is the 3rd largest stadium in the world, and the world’s largest American football stadium. Perhaps surprisingly, it is not used for NFL games, but instead is the home ground of which college football team, named after a mammal native to North America, Russia and Scandinavia?

Answer 52

Michigan Wolverines

Question 53

What MM is the unlikely female sleuth in Agatha Christie’s detective stories?

Answer 53

Miss Marple

Question 54

What TS lies between Australia and New Zealand?

Answer 54

Tasman Sea

Question 55

What ER starring Michael Caine and Julie Walters was a film about the academic achievements of a working class girl?

Answer 55

Educating Rita

Question 56

What TOF is a Frederick Forsyth novel about a German journalist searching for a Nazi war criminal?

Answer 56

The Odessa File

Question 57

Originally discovered as a stray mongrel on the streets of Moscow, the dog Laika was famously (and controversially) chosen as the first animal sent into orbit, aboard what Russian satellite in November 1957?

Answer 57

Sputnik 2 (accept with or without number)

Question 58

Launched in November 1965, France’s first satellite was named after which iconic comic-book character, created by two Frenchmen several years previously?

Answer 58

Asterix

Question 59

In April 1962, what country launched its Ariel 1 satellite, making it the third country (after the Soviet Union and United States) to launch an artificial satellite into orbit?

Answer 59

UK / England / Great Britain

Question 60

In September 1962, Canada became the fourth country to launch an artificial satellite into orbit. What was it called? The eight-letter name is the French for “skylark”, and is also the name of a traditional French-Canadian song.

Answer 60

Alouette

Question 61

Although they are not related, what is the shared surname of these two actresses: The only Belgian-born performer ever to win an acting Oscar, and the only person ever to have won four Oscars for acting?

Answer 61

Hepburn (Audrey and Katharine)

Question 62

Although they are not related, two of the actors to have played the lead role in Doctor Who share the same surname - the first of these (and arguably the most iconic) starred in the show from 1974-81 and the second from 1984-86. What is their shared surname?

Answer 62

Baker (Tom and Colin)

Question 63

Despite not being related, musicians MC Hammer and Shaggy both have the same birth surname - one they share with Princess Diana’s former butler, who finished as runner-up in the UK reality TV show I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2004. What is their shared surname?

Answer 63

Burrell (Stanley, Orville, and Paul)

Question 64

Three of the “classic” lineup of 80s band Duran Duran had the same surname, even though none of them were related to each other: drummer Roger, guitarist Andy and bassist John. What was their shared surname?

Answer 64

Taylor