I’ll be back later today with a post about a very tough quizzing experience I had last night.

In the meantime, click on the Continue Reading… for the answers.

Answers:

1. What is the name of Sinead O’Connor’s new husband? A> Barry Herridge
2. Who was the first woman to be granted the freedom of Galway city? A> Hillary Clinton
3. Who is in charge of the inquiry into the RTÉ programme which libeled Fr Reynolds. A> John Horgan
4. Which former Eurovision winner was paired with Brendan Cole on Strictly Come Dancing? A> Lulu
5. What was the name of the first widely produced camera? A>Box
6. A tradition in Germany at Christmas, what is Stollen? A> Cake
7. Which 1952 Christmas hit, sung by Jimmy Boyd, was banned by the Catholic Church in Boston? A>I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus
8. Which is the last European nation to still own territory on mainland South America? A>France
9. Six of the ‘deadly’ sins are:  lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, envy and pride.  Name the remaining one. A> Wrath
10. Which Mexican plant is known as the ‘Flower of the Holy Night’? A>Poinsettia

Christmas Carols (a la crossword clues):

1. Loyal followers’ advance (1,4,3,2,8) A> O come all ye faithful
2. Bleached Yule (5,8) A> White Christmas
3. Far off in a feeder (4,2,1,6) A> Away in a Manger
4. Monarchial Triad (2,5,5) A> We three kings
5. Nocturnal noiselessness (6,5) A> Silent night
6. Frozen precipitation commence (3,2,4) A> Let it snow
7. Delight for the planet (3,2,3,5) A> Joy to the world
8. Give attention to the melodius celestial beings (4,3,6,6,4) A> Hark the Herald Angels sing
9. Array the corridor (4,3,5) A> Deck the halls
10. Red man en route to Borough (5,5,2,6,2,4) A> Santa Claus is coming to town
11. The dozen festive 24 hour intervals (3,6,4,2,8) A> The twelve days of Christmas

Pictures:

1. Roy Keane
2. Simon Cowell
3. Heather Mills
4. Yasser Arafat
5. John Terry
6. Rio Ferdinand
7. Jessica Wallace
8. Brad Pitt
9. Maria Sharapova
10. Renée Zellwegger
11. Lenin
12. John Cleese

Ho, ho, ho etc.

The final quiz of 2011 took place in Gilligan’s, Claremorris, on Tuesday last and, fittingly, it was Christmas themed.

The picture round featured 12 “santas”, there was a round in which we had to name the carols which matched the cryptic clues and we had a round in which the questions were nothing to do with Christmas but the answers were homonyms of things that were.  It was very well done.

I was on the same team for the second week in a row.  That’s right, even though the tables are pulled from a hat, we three (kings) managed to end up together once again.  Thankfully, while we hadn’t been anywhere near winning last week, this time we managed to take home the final prize of the year.

It turns out we know a lot about Christmas.

Here are the questions we missed:

1. What is the name of Sinead O’Connor’s new husband?
2. Who was the first woman to be granted the freedom of Galway city?
3. Name the judge who is in charge of the inquiry into the RTÉ programme which libeled Fr Reynolds.
4. Which former Eurovision winner was paired with Brendan Cole on Strictly Come Dancing?
5. What was the name of the first widely produced camera?
6. A tradition in Germany at Christmas, what is Stollen?
7. Which 1952 Christmas hit, sung by Jimmy Boyd, was banned by the Catholic Church in Boston?
8. Which is the last European nation to still own territory on mainland South America?
9. Six of the ‘deadly’ sins are:  lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, envy and pride.  Name the remaining one.
10. Which Mexican plant is known as the ‘Flower of the Holy Night’?

Here’s a round on Christmas Carols (a la crossword clues):

1. Loyal followers’ advance (1,4,3,2,8)
2. Bleached Yule (5,8)
3. Far off in a feeder (4,2,1,6)
4. Monarchial Triad (2,5,5)
5. Nocturnal noiselessness (6,5)
6. Frozen precipitation commence (3,2,4)
7. Delight for the planet (3,2,3,5)
8. Give attention to the melodius celestial beings (4,3,6,6,4)
9. Array the corridor (4,3,5)
10. Red man en route to Borough (5,5,2,6,2,4)
11. The dozen festive 24 hour intervals (3,6,4,2,8)

Picture round **:

Answers coming soon.  Before Christmas at least!

Footnotes:

* This was my fourth quiz since I last posted. However, I’m putting it up today as it’s at the top of my brain, if you know what I mean.

** Look very closely and you may see a clue for #6.

Anyway, let’s move on.  Click the continue to see the answers.

Answers:

1. How many yellow roses featured in the title of Bobby Darin’s 1962 hit? A> 18
2. How many trombones feature in the 1957 song by Meredith Wilson? A> 76
3. How many miles of bad road featured in Duane Eddy’s 1959 hit song? A> 40
4. What numbers were involved in Manfred Mann’s 1964 No. 5 hit record? A> 5-4-3-2-1
5. What is the name of the new book by Claremorris historian and author M.J. Reidy? A> The River Robe
6. The Road to ’51, a new book about the history of Mayo Gaelic Football was released recently. Who is it by? A> James Laffey
7. What is the name of the former Senator and Dáil candidate who was recently appointed a District Judge in Westport? A> Patrick Durcan
8. What was the name of the famous band leader who died in October of this year? A> Edmundo Ros
9. What is the proper name for the so-called ‘wild rhubarb’ which is rampant on Achill Island? A> Gunnera Tinctoria
10. Name the Kilkenny hurling captain who scored the winning point in the 1957 All-Ireland senior hurling final. A> Mickey Kelly
11. Which horse was a surprise winner of the Prix de l’Arch de Triomphe earlier this year? A> Danedream
12. What was the final score in the 2011 Solheim Cup? A> 15 – 13 (to Europe)
13. Name the Mayo TD who topped the poll in the Dublin Mid-West constituency? A> Joanna Tuffy
14. Name the Mayo TD who topped the poll in the Dublin North constituency? A> James Reilly
15. Peadar Ó Ceallaigh, a candidate in Dublin South-East, holds what distinction in the 2011 General Election? A> He received 18 votes, the lowest in the country.*
16. Name both (for a point each) of the two outgoing Fine Gael TDs who lost their seats in the 2011 General Election. A> Deirdre Clune and Tom Sheahan (and Michael D’Arcy**)
17. To the nearest thousand, how many votes did Enda Kenny receive in the by-election which brought him in to the Dáil in 1975? A> 15,000
18. Name all five (for a point each, bonus for all) of the remaining communist countries. A> China, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam and Laos
19. Name all three (point each + bonus) of the Pakistani cricketers who were convicted of match-fixing this year. A> Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir
20. Which pretender to the English throne attempted to rise up and defeat Henry VII before being defeated and executed? A> Perkin Warbeck ***
21. From which Shakespeare play do the lines “If music be the food of love, play on…” come? A> Twelfth Night

Pictures 1:

1. Kevin Cardiff
2. William Shatner
3. Wes Hoolahan
4. Seal (Samuel)
5. Rachel Allen
6. Tulisa (Contostavlos)
7. Deirdre Ryan
8. Frances Fitzgerald

Pictures 2:

1. Sideshow Bob
2. Fievel (Mouskewitz)
3. Marvin the Martian
4. Dora (the Explorer)
5. Handy Manny
6. Smurfette
7. Brian (Griffin)
8. Shaggy, Scrappy and Scooby Doo

Apologies for the delay.  I hope the extra time allowed you to get them all correct!

Footnotes:

* That said, I notice he only got nine less than the candidate above him!

** In spite of the way the question was phrased, it turns out that three Fine Gael TDs lost their seats.

*** Harrumph. I had this chap’s name written down before changing it.

This week’s quizmaster was Mick, my recent team-mate on a couple of successful outings.  He produced a quiz to savour with questions coming from all angles and obscure locations. He opened up with a round featuring songs with numbers in the title. Let me tell you, not alone had I not heard of some of the songs involved, but, in two or three of them, I’d never heard of the artist either!

That set the tone. A couple of rounds were played out to a soundtrack of audible groans from the crowd but, after Bruges and this week’s discussion on difficulty, I found it very entertaining.  Why do we quiz if not to be challenged?

My favourite was a round on Shakespeare.  Yes, we all know “Forsooth I know not why I am so sad…” but do you know what play it’s from? And which character said it? It turned out that I did, although it was an educated guess.

My team finished second on 83, behind the winners’ 91.  These weren’t out of 100 though.  Several of the rounds had 11 questions, many of them had multi-part answers (worth a point each and a bonus awarded to any team who got all) and the picture round had 22. Truth be told, I don’t know what the potential full score was!

Anyway, here are some questions we got wrong *:

1. How many yellow roses featured in the title of Bobby Darin’s 1962 hit?
2. How many trombones feature in the 1957 song by Meredith Wilson?
3. How many miles of bad road featured in Duane Eddy’s 1959 hit song?
4. What numbers were involved in Manfred Mann’s 1964 No. 5 hit record?
5. What is the name of the new book by Claremorris historian and author M.J. Reidy?
6. The Road to ’51, a new book about the history of Mayo Gaelic Football was released recently. Who is it by?
7. What is the name of the former Senator and Dáil candidate who was recently appointed a District Judge in Westport?
8. What was the name of the famous band leader who died in October of this year?
9. What is the proper name for the so-called ‘wild rhubarb’ which is rampant on Achill Island?
10. Name the Kilkenny hurling captain who scored the winning point in the 1957 All-Ireland senior hurling final.
11. Which horse was a surprise winner of the Prix de l’Arch de Triomphe earlier this year?
12. What was the final score in the 2011 Solheim Cup?
13. Name the Mayo TD who topped the poll in the Dublin Mid-West constituency?
14. Name the Mayo TD who topped the poll in the Dublin North constituency?
15. Peadar Ó Ceallaigh, a candidate in Dublin South-East, holds what distinction in the 2011 General Election?
16. Name both (for a point each) of the two outgoing Fine Gael TDs who lost their seats in the 2011 General Election.
17. To the nearest thousand, how many votes did Enda Kenny receive in the by-election which brought him in to the Dáil in 1975?
18. Name all five (for a point each, bonus for all) of the remaining communist countries. **
19. Name all three (point each + bonus) of the Pakistani cricketers who were convicted of match-fixing this year.
20. Which pretender to the English throne attempted to rise up and defeat Henry VII before being defeated and executed?
21. From which Shakespeare play do the lines “If music be the food of love, play on…” come?

My scanner’s on the blink so I don’t have the picture round for you.  I do have some pictures I did myself for a quiz last Friday night in The Dalton Inn.

Pictures 1:

Pictures 2:

Okey doke. Give them all a go.  Answers tomorrow.

PS If you’re anywhere near the internet this evening, listen in to www.claremorriscommunityradio.ie for After the Fact, from 7-8pm. This week it’s all about people called John.

Update: answers here (finally!).

Footnotes:

* All that I managed to jot down!

** We got these but I thought you’d like the challenge.

*** I know we missed three in the Shakespeare round but I didn’t get the others noted, unfortunately.

I’m on quiz master duty again on Friday evening.  If you’re anywhere in the vicinity, please come on in to The Dalton Inn, Claremorris, for a quiz in aid of Claremorris Community Radio.  Kick-off is scheduled for 8.30pm, tables of four are €40 and all are welcome!

Right, let’s get on to those answers.

Questions from Ballina:

1. Mount Leinster is located in which mountain range? A> Blackstairs
2. The Bellawaddy river flows through which Sligo town? A> Enniscrone
3. List the colours on the Google logo. A> Red, green, blue and yellow *
4. Who won the Best Female award at the recent MTV Europe Music Awards in Belfast? A> Lady Gaga

Slogans (identify the product):

1. Because I’m worth it A> L’Oréal
2. Every little helps A> Tesco
3. Does exactly what it says on the tin A> Ronseal
4. Perfect every time A> Uncle Ben’s
5. Fuel your day A> Weetabix
6. Cleans deep down dirty A> Daz
7. Connecting people A> Nokia
8. I’m lovin’ it A> McDonald’s
9. Just do it A> Nike
10. Obey your thirst A> Sprite
11. The taste of paradise A> Bounty
12. The best a man can get A> Gillette
13. Made to make your mouth water A> Starburst **
14. Do you lick the lid of life? A> Müller
15. Before you make up your mind – open it A> Irish Independent

Irish towns (anagrams thereof):

1. Gull in ram A> Mullingar
2. All rue Tom A> Tullamore
3. Drip won tack A> Downpatrick
4. Umbro hands A> Drumshambo
5. A wad my nun A> Dunmanway
6. Solo pirate A> Portlaoise
7. Elk entry net A> Letterkenny
8. N cows L heart A> Charlestown
9. Navan drug A> Dungarvan
10. Inches no try A> Enniscorthy

Picture round:

1. Katy Perry
2. Justin Bieber
3. Yoko Ono
4. Nicolas Sarkozy
5. George Clooney
6. Sarah Palin
7. Jude Law
8. Chris Martin
9. Brittney Spears
10. Frankie Dettori
11. Eddie Murphy
12. Marian Finucane
13. Mick Wallace
14. Bill Cullen
15. Cheryl Cole
16. Paul O’Connell
17. Nancy Dell’Olio
18. George Michael
19. Ronan O’Gara
20. Beyoncé Knowles

Questions from Gilligan’s:

1. What do the letters OFM stand for, after the name of a Franciscan brother? A> Ordo Fratrum Minorum (Order of Friars Minor)
2. What unit is used to measure silk and nylon? A> Denier
3. What is the holy book of the Hindu religion? A> The Vedas
4. What is the collective noun for a group of marching horses? A> Cavalcade
5. In which city is the headquarters of OPEC? A> Vienna
6. In the manufacture of what does one use a Pugmill? A> Pottery

That was a bit more work than I intended.  As I’d failed to note down the answers to the town name anagrams, I ended up having to work them all out again!

Hope you enjoyed them.

Footnotes:

* If asked this again, I will endevour to remember it as the crowd at a Roscommon v Mayo football match.

** Opal Fruits, says I.

If only I had read the full title...

I have been very busy this past week and unable to come to the blog.  However, this does mean that today I have a bumper, two-for-one blog for you.

Starting last Thursday, I’ve quizzed twice in the past week and, I’m happy to say, ended up on the winning team both times.  The first of those was in The Loft Bar, in Ballina.  Ger was the svengali behind this excursion, rounding up Pat and Mick, two of the regulars, at Gilligan’s the previous Tuesday night.  Once there, we performed like a wonder team – even more than the sum of our parts – and won out by four points.  It’s not often you get to score over 100 points in an Irish quiz so our 107/115 was something to savour.  That said, the runners-up must have felt hard done by – they scored 103!

This quiz, which was in aid of Croí, featured three handouts, only one of which was a picture round.  The other two were quite clever: Famous slogans and Anagrams of Irish towns.  I’ve included them both below.  One the whole the quiz was very well organised. We did suffer at the hand of some very pedantic marking though when we weren’t awarded the point for identifying Joe Frazier’s nickname correctly. What we wrote down: Smokin’. What they wanted: Smokin’ Joe. Even a trip to the correctors’ table by one of the guys didn’t result in any flexibility. Ah well, luckily it didn’t matter.

I hadn’t been to Gilligan’s on that previous Tuesday. My head needed some time to recover from Bruges.  By all accounts it was a dramatic night with Ger’s team eventually winning on the sixth, sudden-death, playoff question. This Tuesday night my team-mates Mick (the same man as above) and Aidan ensured that the crowd would have no such drama – we scored 92/100 and won by three.

Questions from Ballina:

1. Mount Leinster is located in which mountain range?
2. The Bellawaddy river flows through which Sligo town?
3. List the colours on the Google logo.
4. Who won the Best Female award at the recent MTV Europe music awards in Belfast?

Slogans (identify the product):

1. Because I’m worth it
2. Every little helps
3. Does exactly what it says on the tin
4. Perfect every time
5. Fuel your day
6. Cleans deep down dirty
7. Connecting people
8. I’m lovin’ it
9. Just do it
10. Obey your thirst
11. The taste of paradise
12. The best a man can get
13. Made to make your mouth water
14. Do you lick the lid of life?
15. Before you make up your mind – open it

Irish towns (anagrams thereof):

1. Gull in ram
2. All rue Tom
3. Drip won tack
4. Umbro hands
5. A wad my nun
6. Solo pirate
7. Elk entry net
8. N cows L heart
9. Navan drug
10. Inches no try

Picture round (click to embiggen):

Questions from Gilligan’s:

1. What do the letters OFM stand for, after the name of a Franciscan brother?
2. What unit is used to measure silk and nylon?
3. What is the holy book of the Hindu religion?
4. What is the collective noun for a group of marching horses?
5. In which city is the headquarters of OPEC?
6. In the manufacture of what does one use a Pugmill?

Hopefully these will keep you thinking for a day or so.  Until then…

Update: answers here.

Don’t forget, I’m hosting a quiz in Claremorris tonight.  It’s at 8.30pm in Warde’s Bar on Main Street.  Please come along if you’re anywhere near! We’ve got some picture rounds, an audio round and a couple of Hallowe’en themed rounds.  It should be a fun night.

Ok, on with the answers.  I alluded to the fact that one of the answers called out the other night was wrong.  To be more accurate, one of the questions was wrong.

#22 asked about the mother of Edward V.  We discussed it at the table and I wondered if Edward V was the heir to Henry VIII (which would mean his mother was Jane Seymour). My team-mate Mick, however, was sure that Henry VIII’s son was Edward VI so I dug into the brain and came up with Elizabeth Woodville.  I surprised myself with this – as I found out afterwards that it’s right.  Alas, it wasn’t the answer the MC wanted.  He was looking for: Jane Seymour.  Those pesky regnal numbers! If we’d lost by a point, I’m sure we’d have gone up and asked for a recount but it didn’t come to that, unfortunately.

Answers:

1. In which African country was presidential nominee David Norris born? A> Belgian Congo
2. How many British No.1s did Westlife have? A> 14
3. The Bishop’s Palace in which county Roscommon town is currently for sale? A> Ballaghadereen
4. What name is given to a triangle with all sides unequal? A> Scalene
5. What name is given to a four-sided shape in which only two lines are parrallel? A> Trapezium / Trapezoid
6. What breed of dog gets its name from the German word for splash? A> Poodle
7. In which central European language does the word ‘ano’ mean yes? A> Czech Republic
8. By what other name is GMT known? A> Universal Time
9. What was the name of U2′s first British No.1 single? A> Desire
10. Which poem ends with the verse: “He who is wrapped in purple robes, With planets in His care, Had pity on the least of things, Asleep upon a chair.”? A> The Ballad of Fr Gilligan
11. How many Israeli Shekels are equal to a Euro? A> 3.75 *
12. Who wrote The Maltese Falcon? A> Dashiell Hammett
13. Which island is the largest of the Greater Antilles? A> Cuba
14. Which island is nearest to Lybia? A> Crete
15. During the 1960s, which TV character’s catchphrase was “Sorry about that, Chief.”? A> Maxwell Smart (from Get Smart)
16. In manufacturing, what does the acronym SIN stand for? A> (Special Item Number?) **
17. What was the original name of the Hoover Dam? A> Boulder
18. Magnata is the ancient Roman name for which Irish city? A> Galway ***
19. In music, what does the term ‘Largo’ mean? A> Slow tempo
20. What was the name of William Shakespeare’s final play? A> The Tempest
21. Which Irish port is believed to have been the entry port for the Black Death into Ireland in the 1340s? A> Howth
22. Who was mother to Edward V? A> Elizabeth Woodville

Apologies for the vagueness of #16.  I’ve plain forgotten what the answer is.  All my notes contain is the word SIN, so that’s not much use.

That’s all from me.  Hope to see some of you tonight!

Footnotes:

* Perhaps it was last Tuesday.  Now it’s just over 5 Shekels to the Euro.

** Sorry!

*** This is the name given to a city in the West of Ireland on Ptolemy’s map.  It’s believed to be Galway… or Sligo. It’s not the most accurate map!

At the end of the night, my team had scored a hard-fought 59.  Pitiful on any other night but good enough for second place on this occasion, just two points behind the winning team.

I’ll give you a sample of how this state of affairs came about, after the Continue.

Questions:

1. In which African country was presidential nominee David Norris born?
2. How many British No.1s did Westlife have?
3. The Bishop’s Palace in which county Roscommon town is currently for sale?
4. What name is given to a triangle with all sides unequal? *
5. What name is given to a four-sided shape in which only two lines are parrallel? *
6. What breed of dog gets its name from the German word for splash?
7. In which central European language does the word ‘ano’ mean yes?
8. By what other name is GMT known?
9. What was the name of U2′s first British No.1 single?
10. Which poem ends with the verse: “He who is wrapped in purple robes, With planets in His care, Had pity on the least of things, Asleep upon a chair.”?
11. How many Israeli Shekels are equal to a Euro? **
12. Who wrote The Maltese Falcon?
13. Which island is the largest of the Greater Antilles?
14. Which island is nearest to Lybia?
15. During the 1960s, which TV character’s catchphrase was “Sorry about that, Chief.”?
16. In manufacturing, what does the acronym SIN stand for?
17. What was the original name of the Hoover Dam?
18. Magnata is the ancient Roman name for which Irish city?
19. In music, what does the term ‘Largo’ mean?
20. What was the name of William Shakespeare’s final play?
21. Which Irish port is believed to have been the entry port for the Black Death into Ireland in the 1340s?
22. Who was mother to Edward V? ***

There was also a music round in which we somehow managed to guess our way to 5/8.  I won’t be reproducing it here as I didn’t recognise all but one of the pieces.

And I doubt you’d be challenged either by Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries.

Update: answers here.

Footnotes:

* We got these right but I think they’re worth putting into the archive here.

** The exact answer given ended in .75.  The quiz master accepted the numbers either side of that.

*** We also got this right but, for reasons I’ll explain tomorrow, we didn’t get a point for it.

My mate Ger is next week’s quiz master at Gilligan’s but I’m afraid I won’t be there to report on his quiz.  A ticket to next week’s big European Championship qualifier between Ireland and Armenia has come my way so, obviously, I’ll be in Dublin on Tuesday night.

Hopefully, the Ireland team won’t catch the grabbing-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory bug that’s going round.

Answers:

1. What is the highest rank in the British Army? A> Field Marshall
2. What do the letters CT stand for in a CT scan? A> Computed Tomography
3. In which town were the Clancy brothers brought up? A> Carrick-on-Suir
4. Iliana Mironoff is the birth name of which famous actress? A> Helen Mirren
5. Which headland in county Antrim features in the shipping weather forecast? A> Fair Head
6. Who invented the crossword? A> Arthur Wynne
7. What is the actual first name of jockey Ruby Walsh? A> Rupert
8. What event happened on April 26, 1986? A> The Chernobyl disaster
9. Which two teams will contest this year’s Mayo county football final? A> Castlebar Mitchells and Ballintubber
10. What do the letters CNN stand for? A> Cable News Network *
11. How many toes does a dog have? A> 14 18
12. What is the maiden name of Michael D. Higgins’ wife? A> Coyne
13. Who are the new presenters of Crimecall? A> Gráinne Seoige and Philip Boucher Hayes
14. Slieve Donard is the highest peak in which mountain range? A> Mourne Mountains
15. What film was Grace Kelly shooting when she first met Prince Ranier of Monaco? A> To Catch a Thief
16. What is the fifth book of the New Testament? A> Acts of the Apostles
17. Which TV personality got into trouble recently with some comments about work practices in RTÉ? A> Gráinne Seoige
18. On what (Sky) channel did Midwest Radio recently launch a TV programme? A> 201
19. What was the surname of the Belmullet family who recently won the Lotto? A> McIntyre
20. Who is the CEO of the Health Service Executive? A> Cathal Magee
21. Which Galway businessman recently featured in an episode of RTÉ’s The Secret Millionaire? A> John Concannon

No picture round and yet there are still two mentions featuring the clan Seoige.  I could nearly pick them as my specialist subject at this stage, so much have I learned about them through quizzes!

A blog on Monday night’s movie quiz will follow later today. Until then…

Footnotes:

* We really did over think this one. How can you go wrong with only three words… and you know the first word begins with a C!

None more obvious than the fact that, in both of them, my team were in a leading position at the start of the final round before throwing it all away.  Of course, nemesis rounds do happen from time to time but they seem particularly cruel when they occur in round 10*.

As a post on the movie quiz will require some work (stills and audio clips etc), I’m going to take the easy way out and report on these in reverse order.  Thus, let’s start with the opening evening of this year’s Gilligan’s Tuesday quiz night.

I’ll begin at the end.  Having been leading at half-time by two points, my table (myself, another John and a nice man called Seamus) carried on our good form through the second half.  Nothing phemomenal, just a successions of 8s and 9s.  However, the last round turned out to be a total bust.  We scored a shocking 3/12!  We all knew that our only hope of hanging on was for everyone else to have struggled as we did.  It wasn’t that surprising when the scores were called out and we were in joint-third.

I popped up to check the scoresheet afterwards.  We’d been leading by two points going into that last round (from Ger’s team, as it happens).  We scored 3, they got 5 – hence the tie for third.  However, two teams shot past us with brilliant 10- and 9-pointers.

A 2-point lead transformed into a 4-point defeat.

There was no picture round so here are the questions we missed:

1. What is the highest rank in the British Army?
2. What do the letters CT stand for in a CT scan?
3. In which town were the Clancy brothers brought up?
4. Iliana Mironoff is the birth name of which famous actress?
5. Which headland in county Antrim features in the shipping weather forecast?
6. Who invented the crossword?
7. What is the actual first name of jockey Ruby Walsh?
8. What event happened on April 26, 1986?
9. Which two teams will contest this year’s Mayo county football final?
10. What do the letters CNN stand for? **
11. How many toes does a dog have?
12. What is the maiden name of Michael D. Higgins’ wife?
13. Who are the new presenters of Crimecall?
14. Slieve Donard is the highest peak in which mountain range?
15. What film was Grace Kelly shooting when she first met Prince Ranier of Monaco?
16. What is the fifth book of the New Testament?
17. Which TV personality got into trouble recently with some comments about work practices in RTÉ?
18. On what (Sky) channel did Mid-West Radio recently launch a TV programme? ***
19. What was the surname of the Belmullet family who recently won the Lotto?
20. Who is the CEO of the Health Service Executive?
21. Which Galway businessman recently featured in an episode of RTÉ’s The Secret Millionaire?

That’s a lot to keep you going.  It’s a sobering thought that nine of them came from one round alone.

There are some good questions in there.  I’d never before even wondered about who invented the crossword!

Update: answers here.

Footnotes:

* It was actually round 9 (out of nine) in Gilligan’s.  They were laid out at 8 x 11 plus 1 x 12.

** The quiz mistress stressed that the order was important here.  We still managed to get things backwards!

*** A three-digit Sky channel number was sought here.