We hope you enjoyed tearing your hair out and racking your brains over our quiz and crosswords. Congratulations to the winners. Here, so you can look back to see what you got right and what you got wrong, are the answers
CHRISTMAS QUIZ WINNER
Jim Fennell, Manor Kilbride, Blessington, Co Wicklow
CHRISTMAS QUIZ ANSWERS
NEWS
Set by Seán O’Rourke
1 Barack Obama
2 Tahrir Square
3 Belgium
4 Gabrielle Gifford
5 Mariano Rajoy
6 The Gathering
7 Christine Lagarde
8 Leap card
9 Tom Durcan
10 St Paul’s
SPORT
Set by Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh
11 Johnny Sexton
12 Dublin, Andre Villas-Boas
13 Fred Daly
14 Their fathers were team-mates on the Dublin winning teams of 1976 77
15 Glenroe
16 Tony Cascarino
17 Henry Shefflin and Eddie Brennan
18 None. They were awarded the 1934 title, but no final was played
19 Both teams have won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and neither has been defeated in an All-Ireland final
20 She won the Irish Grand National
CELEBRITY
Set by Laura Whitmore
21 Dougie Poynter
22 Sinead O’Connor
23 Brian Dowling
24 Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher
25 Damien Rice, Cannonball
26 Justin Bieber
27 Sharon Corr
28 Coldplay
29 Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries
30 Frankie Cocozza
POLITICS
Set by John Bowman
31 Joan Burton
32 Dún Laoghaire: Mary Hanafin, Barry Andrews and Ciaran Cuffe
33 Mary Coughlan. When the government relinquished power on March 9th, 2011, she was the outgoing tánaiste (from May 7th, 2008), minister for education and skills (from March 23rd, 2010) and minister for health and children (from January 20th, 2011))
34 Luke Ming Flanagan
35 September 1927
36 Each of them sought, but failed to obtain, their party’s nomination for the presidency
37 Trinity College. Shane Ross was elected to the Senate. David Norris ran for the presidency
38 Martin McGuinness
39 Michael Healy-Rae
40 Two: Eamon Ó Cuiv and Brendan Smith
FILM
Set by Donald Clarke
41 Michael Fassbender
42 Harry Potter
43 Melissa Leo
44 The Inbetweeners
45 Jessica Chastain
46 Bridesmaids
47 Transformers: Dark of the Moon. It's a sequel. All of the others are prequels. In the interests of fairness we also accepted Puss in Boots, as it was the only animation on the list.
48 Kim Jong-Il in Team America: World Police
49 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moonand Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
50 Alec Guinness. The actors in the film version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spypaired with the BBC TV version
MUSIC
Set by Thomas Walsh
51 One Direction
52 Tom Waits
53 Bell X1
54 Dionne Broomfield
55 Bert Jansch
56 Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Jefferson Airplane
57 Janet Devlin
58 Gillian Welch
59 Jack the Lad Swing
60 Shake It Outby Florence + the Machine
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Set by Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin
61 Tsunami
62 Steve Jobs
63 Neutrino
64 Polar bears
65 Google
66 LulzSec
67 Codor-Dojo
68 Atlas and CMS
69 21
70 Meisner effect
ART AND LITERATURE
Set by Pat McCabe
71 Castlereagh
72 John Bew
73 Dermot Healy
74 David Lynch, who released the album Crazy Clown Time
75 Eoin McNamee
76 Mumming
77 Orwell
78 Ailbhe Darcy
79 Doppelgangers
80 Thomas Hardy
FOOD
Set by Richard Corrigan
81 Masterchef: The Professionals
82 Conrad Gallagher
83 Raw milk
84 Apple
85 Bacon
86 Crocus
87 Marsala
88 Feta
89 The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, London
90 Wolfgang Puck
Set by Eoin Butler
91 The raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound
92 Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
93 Paul Gogarty
94 Beyoncé
95 Pat Kenny
96 Wayne Rooney
97 Jedward
98 Mark Duggan
99 Charlie Sheen
100 Brian O’Driscoll
JUMBO CROSSWORD WINNERMarie Byrne, Hampton Cove, Balbriggan, Co Dublin
RUNNERS-UPPaul Hennessey, Shankill Upper, Cavan, Co Cavan; P Goodwillie, Oaklands Crescent, Rathgar, Dublin 6
JUMBO SOLUTIONS
Across 2+6 Christmas year, 8 Asylum seeker, 13 Odin, 14 Bifocal, 16 Evil, 19 Erg, 20 Apple, 22 Neutrino, 24 Restaurant, 25 Grub, 27 His, 28 Oatmeal, 29 Ousts, 31 Gates, 32 Veal, 33 Bear, 36 Dirge, 37 Ageism, 38 Regalia, 39 Fed, 40 Aorta, 42 Next, 44 Glide, 46 Olive, 48 Abnormal, 49 Reek, 50 EEC, 51 Yearling, 52 Tintin, 53 Forbidden, 59 Welterweight, 63 Subterranean, 69 UFO, 70 Sat, 71 Ballet dancer, 77 Tactlessness, 83 Sergeants, 85 Novice, 86 Multiply, 89 Bid, 90 Lace, 91 Molasses, 93 Cairo, 94 Nouns, 96 Deli, 97 Penne, 98 Gel, 99 Doodled, 100 Income, 101 Colic, 104 NASA, 105 Odds, 107 Debug, 108 Liszt, 109 Commend, 110 Loo, 112 Rani, 113 Zuckerberg, 115 Oxymoron, 117 Jumbo, 119 Tie, 121 Navy, 123 Redford, 124 Then, 125 Press gallery, 126 Cern, 127 Endangers.
Down 1 Thoroughfare, 2 Cantered, 3 Robot, 4 Suffuse, 5 Michael d, 7 Ali, 9 Soul, 10 Leo, 11 Mizen, 12 Kiwi, 15 Lethargic, 16 Eggs Benedict, 17 Laboratories, 18 Stronghold, 21 Pathetic, 23 Obstacles, 26 Gamma, 30 Solomon, 34 Crib, 35 Compact, 41 Tiller, 43 Skype, 44 Genie, 45 Leg, 47 Evoke, 48 Amber, 54 Don, 55 Eta, 56 Agency, 57 Abject, 58 Bull, 59 Womb, 60 Lull, 61 Erne, 62 Wand, 64 Rife, 65 Alps, 66 Erie, 67 Ness, 68 Cute, 72 Axe, 73 Log, 74 Toads, 75 Attic, 76 Rhododendron, 77 Technicality, 78 Lauds, 79 Satire, 80 Napkins, 81 Style, 82 Armadillo, 83 Saloons, 84 Resolution, 86 Min, 87 Belligerence, 88 Linoleum, 89 Bulldozer, 92 Enda, 95 Bigot, 102 Conceded, 103 Detritus, 106 Die down, 111 Fonda, 114 Badge, 116 Yule, 118 USSR, 120 Awl, 122 Ape.
CROSAIRE WINNER
William Leonard Monalea Grove, Firhouse, Dublin
RUNNERS-UPMáirín De Burca, Upper Fairview Avenue, Dublin; Anne Ledwidge, Laureston Court, Tower, Blarney, Co Cork
CROSAIRE SOLUTIONS
Across 1 Wrapping paper, 10 Tantrum, 11 In truth, 12 Troy, 13 Utter, 15 Bait, 17 Era, 19 Punjab, 21 Poseur, 22 Muddles, 23 Ensued, 25 Regale, 27 Pie, 29 Spat, 30 Sense, 31 Mini, 34 All ears, 35 Evening, 36 Away in a manger.
Down 2 Run-down, 3 Port, 4 Inmate, 5 Guinea, 6 Anti, 7 Emulate, 8 St Stephen’s Day, 9 The Three Kings, 14 Trade-in, 16 Cameo, 18 Doses, 20 Bud, 21 Per, 24 Swallow, 26 Asinine, 27 Person, 28 Esteem, 32 Baby, 33 Keen.