Homemade quirky Christmas quiz to raise funds for Heart Children Ireland

John McGann’s annual charity Christmas Quiz started with three families in 1998. He took their answers over the phone.

The next year, 12 families took the quiz and went to his house on Christmas night to compare answers. “They had lots of arguments and all the rest,” he said. The quiz has grown since then, and some families have turned it into a competitive sport.

“One year we used photographs of clocks around Dublin, and people were seen driving around late at night to see where these clocks were. One family rang Stokes Manufacturers in Cork” and persisted in getting the answer, even though the facility was closed for the holidays.

“And that’s just for bragging rights. There’s no prize,” he said.

General knowledge

McGann and Alan Smyth, an old schoolfriend, both had young families and wanted something to do after dinner on Christmas day. They have been compiling the 100-point general knowledge quiz since then. They try to make the multimedia quiz quirky and accessible for people of all ages.

“You’re supporting a charity and have a lovely present to give, and you can sit down and do it with your family,” McGann said.

They donate proceeds to a different charity and this year funds will go to Heart Children Ireland, a support group for parents and families of children with a congenital heart disorder (CHD).

According to Margaret Rogers, CEO of Heart Children Ireland, CHD affects about one in every 100 children born worldwide, making it the most common of all birth defects.

“By the time they’re four, they could have had three open-heart surgeries,” said Rogers.

Cardiac charity

The charity was established 24 years ago by the late Maurice Neligan, the doctor who performed the country's first open heart surgery for congenital problems in 1974.

It supports the cardiac unit in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin and the young adult congenital unit at the Mater Hospital. It relies on fundraising and private donations.

“We bought the very first ECMO unit [which provides life support for patients in cardiac or respiratory failure] at Crumlin. Before that, children had to go to the UK for treatment,” said Rogers.

When chairwoman Leslie Osborne was born with CHD in 1974, there were no family supports available. "My parents felt they were on their own," she said.

“We’ve set up a psychology service for families. It prepares families before children go into hospital and supports them while they’re there. A family is turned upside down when a child is born with a heart condition,” Osborne said.

The charity provides CoaguChek machines to young adults on blood thinners. The €550 machines let patients test their blood and send results to hospital, something CHD sufferers might do several times a week. Rogers said they have provided 54 so far.

The quiz, which usually raises up to €2,500 annually, is at christmasquiz.ie. It is available online and in DVD format. Both options cost €25. Winners are listed, and answers given, on the website after Christmas.