St. Patrick's Day
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90 free St. Patrick's Day trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
89 free St. Patrick's Day trivia questions with answers. From the real story of St. Patrick (hint: he wasn't Irish) to the reason Chicago dyes its river green, St. Patrick's Day is packed with surprising history and traditions. These 90 questions will test whether you're a true Irish trivia champion or just someone who wears green once a year.
30 of 90 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In which modern-day country was St. Patrick born?
Britain
Patrick was born in Roman Britain, the son of Calpurnius, a decurion; his Confessio names his family's villa at Bannavem Taburniae, a site never securely identified.
Q 02What was St. Patrick's birth name before he became known as Patrick?
Maewyn Succat
Tradition gives his birth name as Maewyn Succat; the seventh-century writer Tírechán listed four names for him, including Magonus and Succetus, while his own writings only ever call him Patricius.
Q 03According to legend, what did St. Patrick drive out of Ireland?
Snakes
Post-glacial Ireland never had any snakes; the earliest account of Patrick chasing them into the sea is by Jocelyn of Furness in the late twelfth century.
Q 04On what date is St. Patrick's Day celebrated each year?
March 17
March 17 is the traditional date of Patrick's death; the Irish annals record it under both 461/2 and 492/3, the latter claiming he died aged 120.
Q 05How old was St. Patrick when he was captured and taken to Ireland as a slave?
16
In his Confessio Patrick says he was about 16 when raiders seized him from his family's villa at Bannavem Taburniae; he was held six years before escaping.
Q 06What plant did St. Patrick allegedly use to explain the Holy Trinity?
Shamrock
Legend says Patrick used the three-leaved shamrock to explain the Trinity; the story was first written down in 1726, though seventeenth-century Irish coins already show him holding one.
Q 07The historical St. Patrick was active as a missionary in Ireland during which period?
400s
Only two of his Latin writings survive, the Confessio and the Letter to the soldiers of Coroticus; the traditional 432 date for his mission was probably chosen to downplay Palladius, sent to Ireland in 431.
Q 08What was St. Patrick's role during his years of captivity in Ireland?
Shepherd
He wrote that the years of captivity were critical to his spiritual growth; one theory places him herding sheep around Slemish mountain, another near Killala Bay.
Q 09Where is St. Patrick believed to be buried?
Downpatrick
Tradition places Patrick's grave at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, County Down, which is also said to hold Saint Brigid and Saint Columba, though none of the burials has been proven.
Q 10Which Waterford-born Franciscan got St Patrick's feast day onto the Catholic liturgical calendar in the early 1600s?
Luke Wadding
Wadding also opened a college in Rome to train Franciscans for the Irish mission; parades in Ireland itself did not appear until the twentieth century.
Q 11Which colour did the Order of St Patrick adopt in 1783, leaving a shade still named after the saint?
Blue
Blue was the Order of St Patrick's choice; green had been linked with Ireland since the Irish Catholic Confederation's 1640s flag, and the United Irishmen made 'wearing of the green' a nationalist statement in the 1790s.
Q 12The first recorded St. Patrick's Day celebration in what is now the US took place in 1600 in which city?
St. Augustine
Records show St. Augustine, the Spanish colony in Florida, held a St. Patrick's celebration in 1600 organised by its Irish vicar Ricardo Artur, with a parade in 1601; Boston's first observance came in 1737.
Q 13Which city famously dyes its river green for St. Patrick's Day?
Chicago
Q 21In which Irish county is Croagh Patrick, climbed by pilgrims every 'Reek Sunday'?
Mayo
Croagh Patrick rises above Clew Bay in County Mayo; thousands climb it on Reek Sunday, the last Sunday in July, a pilgrimage that goes back at least to the Middle Ages.
Q 22What is the longest river in Ireland?
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at 360 km (224 miles). It flows from the Shannon Pot in County Cavan to the Shannon Estuary in County Limerick. The River Liffey runs through Dublin but is much shorter.
Q 23Bulmers, made in Clonmel and sold abroad as Magners, is which kind of drink?
Cider
A single brand, Bulmers, dominates cider sales in Ireland; it is produced in Clonmel, County Tipperary, and sold as Magners outside the Republic.
Chicago has dyed the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day since 1962. The tradition started when a plumber's union worker noticed that a chemical used to detect sewage leaks turned the river green.
Q 14Which dish, not traditional in Ireland, became the classic St. Patrick's Day meal among Irish Americans?
Corned beef and cabbage
Corned beef and cabbage was adopted by Irish immigrants in nineteenth-century America, where beef was cheaper than at home; in Ireland itself the closer equivalent is bacon and cabbage.
Q 15Which Georgia city dyes its Forsyth Park fountain green for St. Patrick's Day?
Savannah
Savannah stages one of the largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the United States; festivities open with the ceremonial 'greening' of the fountain in Forsyth Park.
Q 16What mythical creature from Irish folklore is associated with pots of gold at the end of rainbows?
Leprechaun
Leprechauns are fairy creatures from Irish folklore who are said to hide pots of gold at the end of rainbows. They are typically depicted as small, bearded men in green coats.
Q 17Which landmark was one of the first two in Tourism Ireland's 'Global Greening' for St. Patrick's Day, from 2010?
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House and Auckland's Sky Tower were the first two landmarks lit green for Tourism Ireland's Global Greening in 2010; hundreds of sites worldwide later joined.
Q 18What happens to you on St. Patrick's Day if you don't wear green?
You get pinched
The pinch is an American custom rather than an Irish one; in Ireland the day is marked with parades, music sessions and church services.
Q 19Which famous Irish writer wrote 'Ulysses' and 'Dubliners'?
James Joyce
James Joyce's Ulysses unfolds on a single day in Dublin, June 16, 1904, and is considered one of the most important novels of the 20th century.
Q 20What is the name of the traditional Irish step dance show that became a global sensation in 1994?
Riverdance
Riverdance began as the interval act of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, starring Jean Butler and Michael Flatley with music by Bill Whelan, before growing into a full-length touring show.
Q 24What is the name of the famous prehistoric passage tomb in Ireland, older than the Egyptian pyramids?
Newgrange
Newgrange, built in County Meath around 3200 BC, predates the Giza pyramids; its passage is aligned so the rising winter-solstice sun floods the inner chamber through a 'roofbox' above the entrance.
Q 25Which Irish beer brand is famous for its dark stout and is brewed at St. James's Gate in Dublin?
Guinness
Arthur Guinness leased the site on 31 December 1759 with a £100 down payment and £45 a year for 9,000 years.
Q 26A 2017 survey of about 5.7 million clovers found roughly what odds of a clover having four leaves?
1 in 5,000
The survey found roughly 1 in 5,000 clovers had four leaves, almost twice as common as the oft-quoted 1 in 10,000; belief in their luck dates back at least to the 17th century.
Q 27Kissing which famous Irish landmark is said to grant the 'gift of the gab'?
Blarney Stone
The Blarney Stone is set in the battlements of Blarney Castle near Cork; to kiss it, visitors climb to the top and lean over backwards on the parapet's edge.
Q 28Which rocky islands off Ireland's west coast doubled as Ahch-To in two Star Wars films?
Skellig Islands
Skellig Michael stood in for the planet Ahch-To; its Gaelic monastery was founded between the 6th and 8th centuries and the island became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
Q 29In which country's 2006 census did 14% of respondents report Irish origin?
Canada
Canada's 2006 census recorded about 4.35 million people of Irish origin, 14% of the population; by comparison Australia's 2011 census put Irish ancestry at 10.4%.
Q 30Which leavener reacts with buttermilk to make Irish quick bread rise without yeast?
Baking soda
Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) is the leavener: the basic recipe is just flour, salt, buttermilk and soda, and the buttermilk's lactic acid reacts with it to form carbon dioxide bubbles.