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the good information project
Quiz: How much do you know about these well-known Irish migrants?
The Good Information Project spent this month looking at migration.
OVER THE LAST month, The Journal has taken a deep dive into the topic of migration as part of The Good Information Project, covering everything from the EU’s proposed pact and current rules around migration in Europe to the Direct Provision system in Ireland.
Ireland has a long history of emigration. Only this year, the population of Ireland topped five million for the first time in 169 years since around one million people died and one and a half million emigrated due to the Famine.
Today, it is estimated that around 70 million people around the world claim Irish heritage. Some of these are the famous descendants of those that set up home abroad from the late 19th century onwards.
But how much do you know about these Irish migrants? Take our quiz and test your knowledge.
A handy one to start - John F. Kennedy was the first Irish-Catholic president, but what county was his family from?
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Waterford
Wexford
Wicklow
Westmeath
As of this year, how many of the 46 US Presidents claim Irish heritage?
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8
15
23
31
Grace Kelly’s family hailed from Co Mayo. What was the name of the last film she made before she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956?
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High Society
The Country Girl
To Catch a Thief
Dial M for Murder
Henry Ford was the son of an Irish emigrant and was said to be very proud of his Irish roots. In what year did he found the Ford Motors factory in Cork?
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1914
1915
1916
1917
Kildare-born Ernest Shackleton famously led led three expeditions to the Antarctic. How close did he get to the South Pole on his first expedition in 1909?
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90km
180km
270km
360km
He was famously born in the USA, but what county can Bruce Springsteen trace his family tree back to?
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Kilkenny
Dublin
Carlow
Kildare
Mary Harris "Mother" Jones was born in Cork, but became a prominent activist for workers rights in the US in the early 20th century. Which of these organisations did she help to found?
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Industrial Workers of the World
National Labor Union
American Federation of Teachers
United Mine Workers
Which of these infamous outlaws did NOT have Irish heritage?
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Billy the Kid
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Emmett Dalton
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Jesse James
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Ned Kelly
Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara famously had roots in Ireland. What was his father's surname?
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Lynch
Murphy
Quinn
Walsh
In 1887, pioneering journalist Nellie Bly had herself committed to a New York asylum for 10 days to expose the horrific conditions the patients were subjected to. What Ulster county did her family come from?
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Derry
Donegal
Antrim
Tyrone
The Irish engineer John Philip Holland emigrated to the US in 1873. Which of these did he invent?
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Bomber plane
Machine gun
Submarine
Tank
Finally, Lord of the Dance Michael Flatley was born to immigrant Irish parents in Chicago in 1958, but in what year did he perform Riverdance at the Eurovision Song Contest?
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1993
1994
1995
1997
You scored out of !
Top Dog!
Pawsitively perfect.
You scored out of !
Clever Cat!
Almost purrfect.
You scored out of !
Fintastic!
Flippin' good!
You scored out of !
What are ewe doing?!
Baaaaaaaad!
You scored out of !
Turtley Awful!
Shell of a bad effort.
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