HELLO. IT’S OFFICIALLY June.
This is good news – because it means it’s definitely summer. But consider for a moment, what does this mean for ‘June’ as a month? It’s constantly overshadowed by summer. January has its own grim thing going on. September is the back-to-school, back to college month that brings in autumn. June should be the month that brings in summer, but it’s been a pretty nice May.
During May, there were reports of many people in Ireland saying “It feels summery out today!”. Another blow for June.
In honour of this month, we’re going to ask you what you know about things that happened in June, in Ireland.
(This reporter is not out of ideas, they are just passionate about calendar months).
Let's take it back in time to kick things off. St. John's Eve is a holiday that happens on the 23rd of June, that is likely leftover from pagan traditions. What is the name of the holiday in Cork?
Pagan night
Bonna night
Bonny night
St John's night
I am sorry to remind you about lockdown during the pandemic. Now that is over with, in June 2021 a hotly anticipated move was made by politicians in relation to social distancing rules, what was it?
Pubs could stop doing €9 meals for each customer
People could travel 10km from their homes
You could have 5 close contacts
Outdoor hospitality was given the green light to resume
The Bloomsday festival - celebrated by fans of Irish writer James Joyce worldwide - is on 16 June every year. What happened on that day in Joyce's life?
It was the day Ulysses was first published
It was the day he met his publisher Sylvia Beach
It was the day he first went walking with Nora Barnacle
It was the day on which all the action in Finnegan's wake took place
While we are on all things 'bloom', the first Bloom Festival Bord Bia put on was in 2007, but who opened it?
Former President Mary McAleese
Graham Norton
Then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern
Then Minister for Agriculture and Food Mary Coughlan
Singer Mary Coughlan
Last year we had the hottest June on record. Eek. What was the peak temperature recorded?
27.6°C in Co Clare
28.8°C in Co Carlow
29.3°C in Co Galway
30.4°C in Co. Dublin
Francis Ledwidge was a famous Irish poet from Slane, Co Meath. He wrote a poem called 'June' that captured the essence of summer. He was known as the poet of which bird?
Poet of the ravens
Poet of the sparrows
Poet of the doves
Poet of the blackbirds
It was June when the single "C'est La Vie" from B*Witched hit the No 1 spot in the Irish charts - in what year?
2000
1997
1996
1998
In June 2007 Bertie Ahern led the formation of a coalition government with the Independents, and which two political parties?
Sinn Féin and the Progressive Democrats
Fine Gael and Labour
The Greens and Labour
The Greens and the Progressive Democrats
The RTÉ 'secret payments' scandal broke last June. (And lord, haven't we heard about it). What brand were the flipflops that were purchased with a barter account?
Nike
TomToms
Havanna
Superdry
June Rodgers is a famous Irish singer and comedian. Which famous Irish person does she credit for talent spotting her at a talent contest, leading to her big break?
Cynthia Ní Mhurchú
Gerry Ryan
Gay Byrne
Daniel O'Donnell
Answer all the questions to see your result!
You scored out of !
Julius Caesar cat
You are up on the calendar. You could rewrite it, even.
You scored out of !
Irish history nerd
You've done well here, but it's probably because you know a lot about Irish history.
You scored out of !
Dolphin of general knowledge
You know some things about stuff that happened in June in Ireland, gotta hand it to you.
You scored out of !
Cool turtle
You're pretty cool, but you aren't up on what happened in June in Ireland - and that's okay.
