NewsTracker Answers for week of Oct. 29, 2018

Q: Ireland voted overwhelmingly in a referendum last week to remove the crime of blasphemy from its constitution, in the latest move away from strongly its conservative Catholic background toward a more secular social agenda. Where is Ireland?

Circle the area on this map


Q: Irish voters also have rejected a constitutional ban on . . .

A. Abortion

B. Divorce

C. Same sex marriage

D. All of the above


D. In 1995, Irish voters narrowly voted to end the prohibition on divorce. In 2015, a large majority made Ireland the first nation to legalize same sex marriage by a popular vote. In May, Ireland voted by a landslide to repeal its abortion ban.


Q: Irish voters also re-elected their president to another seven-year term. The president is primarily a figurehead, with the Taoiseach holding executive power. What is the Taoiseach?

A. Governor General

B. King

C. Prime minister

D. Viceroy


C. The Republic of Ireland is a parliamentary democracy, and the Taoiseach is the prime minister, chief executive and head of government. He appointed by the president upon the nomination of the lower house of parliament and must maintain majority support of its elected members to stay in office. The word taoiseach means "chief" or "leader" in Irish.


Q: What is the dominant language in Ireland?

A. English

B. Irish

C. Polish


A. The Irish Constitution describes Irish as the "national language", but English is the dominant language. In the 2006 census, only 39% of the population regarded themselves as competent in Irish. As a result of immigration, Polish is the most widely spoken language in Ireland after English, with Irish as the third most spoken.


Q: According to the 2016 census, 78.3 percent of Ireland’s people identified themselves as Roman Catholic. What was the next largest group?

A. Muslim

B. None

C. Protestant

D. Zoroastrian


B. While 4.2 percent were Protestant and 1.3 percent were Muslim, 9.8 percent said they had no religion. Among Catholics, weekly Mass attendance plunged from 81 percent in 1990 to 48 percent in 2006. In Dublin, Mass attendance was just 18 percent in 2011, with it being even lower among younger generations.