€150 IN CASH TO BE WON

How closely have you been paying attention to the news in 2018? Take our Quiz of the Year and find out. We have €150 in cash to give away: €100 first prize and a €50 runner-up prize. Here are the 80 questions to answer...

INTERNATIONAL

1. Seventeen people were killed in a school shooting in February, one of the deadliest in US history. Where did it take place? 2. Nearly two billion people watched as Prince Harry wed actress Meghan Markle in May. What title did they receive on the day? 3. Twelve boys and their soccer coach found themselves trapped inside a flooded cave system in Thailand during the summer. Name the former Thai Navy Seal who died during the rescue attempts. 4. More than 100 people died and hundreds were injured in June after the eruption of a volcano in which country? 5. Castro rule in Cuba, in place since 1959, ended this year with the resignation of Raúl Castro. Who was elected his successor? 6. Pope Francis was drawn into controversy over revelations about disgraced US cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Name the former Vatican ambassador who wrote a letter in August claiming the pope knew about Cardinal McCarrick’s behaviour. 7. Name the journalist who was assassinated in Istanbul in October leading to an international diplomatic headache for the Saudi government. 8. In France in March, a man claiming allegiance to Isis killed four people and injured 15 before being killed by police. Name the two towns where the terrorist attack occurred. 9. Protests rocked France in December, forcing President Emmanuel Macron to announce steps to relieve the economic hardship of many French people. What was the item of clothing from which the protesters took their name? 10. In March, China removed term limits for its leaders, granting President for Life status to its current head. Name him. 11. Swaziland changed its English name in April. What is it now known as? 12. What separatist group announced its dissolution in Spain this year? 13. Name the strict European Union privacy controls that went into effect on May 25 this year. 14. Which public company became world’s first to achieve a market capitalisation of $1 trillion in August? 15. What country this year became the second in the world, after Uruguay, to legalise the sale and use of cannabis? 16. The US reimposed sanctions on what country in August? 17. Hundreds of Russian diplomats were expelled by more than 20 countries this year after a poisoning incident in the UK. Name the two people affected by the poisoning. 18. Which Hollywood producer was arrested in New York in May over sexual misconduct allegations, before being released after a million dollars of bail was posted? 19. More than 100 people died during deadly wildfires in which US state late this year? 20. Which world leader announced, after meeting with US President Donald Trump, that his country would denuclearise?

IRELAND

21. What was the name of the storm that accompanied the week-long cold snap in late February and early March? 22. What constituency voted ‘No’ in May’s referendum? 23. In June, the country was shocked when a gunman injured boxing coach Pete Taylor and killed another man at a boxing club. Where was the club located? 24. Name the campaigner at the centre of the Cervical Check scandal who died in October? 25. Controversial comments helped Peter Casey grab 23% of the first-preference vote in October’s presidential election, seeing him finish second. Who came third? 26. A photo of Margaret Cash’s children sleeping in a Garda station in August brought attention to the issue of homelessness. Where was the Garda station? 27. Pope Francis came to Ireland in August. What Dublin city centre service did he visit? 28. Who disappointed protesters by cancelling a November visit to Ireland? 29. On the day of the presidential election in October, what constitutional issue was voted on? 30. Which Irish organisation pulled out of the Saudi investment conference, nicknamed Davos in the Desert, over concerns about the suspected murder of a journalist? 31. Who became the first Northern Ireland author to win the Man Booker prize for her novel Milkman? 32. Kirsten Mate Maher was crowned Rose of Tralee in August. Which county did she represent? 33. Which town was announced as Ireland’s tidiest in September? 34. Where was ‘The Haunted Soldier’ World War I memorial located when it was vandalised in November? 35. More than 100 Irish soldiers returned home in October after a two-week delay caused by a paperwork error. Where had they been deployed? 36. Which Irish actress was Oscarnominated for her role in Lady Bird? 37. Trinity College, Croke Park and The Famine Memorial formed part of the itinerary for which famous newly wed