Quiz of the year
From Oscar winner mix-ups to royal engagements, threats of nuclear war to hurricanes, how well do you remember 2017?
TELEVISION
1. TV3 pulled production of which popular dating quiz show, the original of which was hosted by Cilla Black? 2. Which female comedian wrote and starred in the RTÉ series Nowhere Fast? 3. Which former Eastenders star did Lucy Kennedy move in with in 2017 as part of her series Livin’ With Lucy? 4. In February, which RTÉ presenter was fooled into believing they had received a signed photo and handwritten letter from Julia Roberts? 5. Meghan Markle famously got engaged to Prince Harry in November, but which Netflix legal drama was she a cast member of until recently? 6. Which regular cast member in Mrs Brown’s Boys announced his departure from the series this year? 7. Which Irish band can be heard on the opening credits of Gogglebox, both here and in the UK? 8. When Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct in November, the production of which TV series that he stars in was promptly suspended? 9. Who won The X Factor this year? 10. And who won Strictly Come Dancing?
BOOKS
1. Which Margaret Atwood novel was turned into a smash hit TV series starring Elizabeth Moss and Joseph Fiennes? 2. What girl’s name completes the title of this hit Irish novel written by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen: Oh My God What A Complete...? 3. I Found My Tribe, the bestselling book written by Ruth Fitzmaurice, is an ode to the powers of which outdoor pursuit? 4. Complete the title of the 2017 Booker Prize winner by George Saunders: Lincoln In The... 5. What was the name of the New Yorker short story — centring on a woman’s first date with a man she had lukewarm feelings for — that went viral in December? 6. Which model turned cookbook author released the Half Hour Hero collection of recipes this year? 7. Name the latest title in the Ross O’Carroll-Kelly franchise. 8. Which Rubberbandit released a collection of short stories earlier this year? 9. Newsageddon is the year-inreview annual created by which Irish satirical news website? 10. Only Fools & Stories is the memoir written by which muchloved British actor?
MOVIES
1. What was the name of the accountancy firm which accepted ‘full responsibility’ when the Best Picture Award at the Oscars was presented to the wrong film? 2. Irish-Ethiopian actress Ruth Negga earned a Best Actress nomination for her role in which film? 3. Daniel Day-Lewis announced that he is now retiring from acting, after starring in which movie by regular collaborator Paul Thomas Anderson? 4. Which two Dublin actors starred opposite A-lister Nicole Kidman in the Yorgos Lanthimos film The Killing of a Sacred Deer? 5. On which Balearic island did Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander reportedly tie the knot in October? 6. Which former Gossip Girl was spotted filming her latest project, The Rhythm Section, in Dublin earlier this year? 7. Harvey Weinstein has been accused by several women of sexual harassment and assault, but which maverick Hollywood studio did he co-found in 1979 with his brother Bob? 8. IT turned out to be a blockbuster smash in October. Who wrote the book that the horror film was adapted from? 9. Which superhero franchise film, starring Gal Gadot in the titular role, became the highest grossing superhero movie in the US this year? 10. Cardboard Gangsters was a huge home-grown hit this year. Which former Love/Hate star played the lead role of Darndalebased drug dealer Jay Connolly?
MUSIC
1. Which acclaimed Irish actress starred in the video for Ed Sheeran’s song Galway Girl? 2. Which singersongwriter was given the Nobel Prize for Literature in June? 3. What names did pop superstar Beyoncé give her twins? 4. In June, which big-voiced singer pulled out of two major Wembley Stadium shows, hinting she might never tour again? 5. Which country won the Eurovision Song Contest in May, for the first time? 6. RTÉ’s Other Voices was filmed in which Kerry village in December? 7. In June, Ariana Grande proved that love beats terrorism when she held a concert alongside Coldplay, Katy Parry, Miley Cyrus and Pharrell Williams in which English city? 8. Singer Chris Cornell was found dead in a Detroit Hotel room, aged 52, in May. Which grunge group was he frontman of? 9. Which Fermanagh town is Liverpool-born country star Nathan Carter based in? 10. U2 returned to Dublin’s Croke Park over the summer, but what album were they celebrating the 30year anniversary of?
SPORT
1. What is the name of Conor McGregor’s yacht, named after the weekly amount in euros that he used to receive in social welfare? 2. Golf star Rory McIlroy married Erica Stoll in April, but which luxury resort in Cong, Co Mayo was the venue for the starstudded nuptials? 3. The Choice is an autobiographical book written by which Dublin footballer? 4. After defeating Lee Haskins
in June to claim the IBF title and winning the WBA belt from Zhanat Zhakiyanov in October, Ryan Burnett became a boxing world champion in what was an incredible year for the Belfast man. What weight division does he fight in? 5. Which Cork dual star made history in September by winning her 18th All-Ireland medal — the most ever won by a man or woman — when she captained the Rebels to the top, having already captained the footballers to All-Ireland glory in 2012? 6. What Scandinavian team beat Ireland in a humiliating 5-1 defeat in the World Cup qualifiers in November? 7. Which senior GAA team ended years of pain to win the Liam MacCarthy for the first time since 1989? 8. It’s been a few years since this tennis super star has been a Grand Slam force to be reckoned with, but he enjoyed two major wins in 2017, at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. Who is he? 9. ‘At the moment, if he fell in muck, he’d still smell of Old Spice’ — who was footballer Keith Andrews describing? 10. What object did Mayo’s Lee Keegan fling at Dublin’s Dean Rock as he kicked his AllIreland winning free?
WORLD AFFAIRS
1. In April, presidential candidate Marine Le Pen temporarily stepped aside as leader of which French political party? 2. Which politician beat her in an election to become President of France? 3. Under the Trump administration, tensions have increased significantly with which Asian country, known for wielding nuclear weapons? 4. In which Virginia town did white nationalists gather in August, in order to stage a rally for a group known as Unite the Right? 5. Which airline weathered a storm of controversy when it announced it was planning to cancel between 40 and 50 flights a day for six weeks, due to the backlog of annual leave for its crews? 6. Anthony Scaramucci holds the dubious honour of being the White House’s Chief of Communications for six days. What was his nickname? 7. What colour will Britain’s new passports be restored to in the wake of Brexit? 8. Which Northern Irish party did Conservative leader Theresa May do a deal with in order to stay as British prime minister, in the wake of a hung parliament in the UK general election earlier this year? 9. In November, Australia took their lead from Ireland when they voted in which referendum? 10. 93-year-old Robert Mugabe stepped down as president of which African nation?
HOME AFFAIRS
1. When Justin Trudeau visited Ireland in July, in which Dublin park did he and Leo Varadkar go for an evening run? 2. In October, historian Catherine Corless received the Bar of Ireland’s Human Rights Award for uncovering evidence of a mass grave at a former mother-andbaby home where? 3. In October, a category 3 hurricane hit Ireland. What Shakespearean character was it named after? 4. Simon Coveney is now Tánaiste, having replaced Frances Fitzgerald, but what Government role did he hold previous to his appointment? 5. Which party did former Independent Stephen Donnelly join in February? 6. In September, Garda commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan resigned following controversy over which issue? 7. In March, former Sinn Féin deputy leader Martin McGuinness died of a heart condition. In which city was he laid to rest? 8. Former Irish Times sports journalist Tom Humphries was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for the defilement and sexual exploitation of a child earlier this year. It was reported he was a junior coach in which GAA sport? 9. The Luas Cross City line opened in December, but what Dublin 7 neighbourhood is the terminus of the new line in? 10. Name one of the drugs now available to cystic fibrosis sufferers in a new arrangement between the HSE and Verdex Pharmaceuticals.