It wouldn't be an Irish Christmas without a half hour spent watching the Hardy Bucks epic Christmas special 'A Christmas In Castletown'.
Filmed during the unusually snowy December of 2010, the episode not only documents a bunch of loveable miscreants trying to celebrate - and survive - Christmas, it captures the surreal confusion of a bailed-out Ireland, deep in recession. Not too many other Irish comedies feature drug-dealing Santa's, stolen hampers, stolen EU food products, live turkeys, fights with men in reindeer suits and general bonhomie in their Christmas special.
We want to test you on how well you remember this iconic half hour of Irish television.
Finish this iconic Viper line: “Christmas is the time for giving, and I’m going to be giving you ______ all over the festive period”
- Shite
- Turkeys
- Hash
With Buzz suffering the fear ahead of the 12 Pubs of Christmas, Eddie gives him an ultimatum: "it either your organs or the craic: you can't serve two masters". Which master does Buzz choose: the craic or his organs?
- The craic
- Craic
What’s the name of the fictional Irish town that Buzz says has been purchased by Belgium and taken away by the ‘IMF boys...hup and off with ya?’
- Ballintwohill
- Carrignanty
- Claremorris
Amid the IMF bailout, The Viper and his crew have stolen which 'EU food aid' product in order to sell back to the kids of Castletown at €15 a pop?
- Ham
- Cheese
- Spuds
What CD does Buzz gift Eddie for Christmas?
- Tipperary Trance 2
- Tipperary Trance 3
- Tipperary Trance 4
Buzz wakes up on Christmas morning and tells French Toast he’d been dreaming about shifting which famous character from the 2010 World Cup in Ballina?
- Luis Suarez
- Paul The Octopus
- A vuvuzuela
Which of these items is NOT in the Christmas hamper that the Viper stole from the lads?
- Triangle of brie
- Salmon fillet job
- Luxury toilet tissue
- Slab of cans
The logo of which car brand adorns Buzz’s (and the Viper's) Santa hat in A Castletown Christmas?
- Mitsubishi
- Mercedes Benz
- BMW
- Rolls Royce
Buzz wins the game of charades the lads play around the Christmas fire, but what movie/TV show was Toast acting out?
- Jeremy Vine
- Jeremy Beadle
- Panel Beaters 15
- Lesbian Lust Lovers 2
Which Hardy Bucks character is Santa in Santa's Grotto?
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- The Viper
- Boo
- Stadeside
- Salmon
Eddie says the boys want to have a Christmas just like "the lads in World War I" who played which football game in No Man’s Land?
- Wembley
- Red Arse
- 5-a-side
Who eventually turns up at the house with a (cooked) turkey?
- Kofi
- Uncle Terry
- Lexus
When spirits at their lowest, Boo suggests doing what the Japanese Special Forcesdo in "times of trouble". What does he do?
- Sushi
- Yoga
- Press ups
During a chat about Christmas presents, French Toast remembers his pain at receiving a fake Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle with Oasis glasses. Which turtle did he receive?
- Donatello
- Leonardo
- Raphael
- Michaelangelo
Hardy Bucks was filmed in Swinford Co Mayo but co-creator Martin Maloney spoke to the Irish Times in 2009 about his anxieties about how the show would be perceived in the village.
We did worry, to be honest. But, like a Steinbeck novel, it was never about any one town in particular. It was like Royston Vasey in League of Gentlemen,or Craggy Island in Father Ted. Apart from my mother giving out to me about some of the language, there have been no complaints so far.
We've been totally taken aback at how supportive the people of Swinford have been. Not just the people, but local businesses, too. When we were starting out first, we asked the management in Boland's pub here if we could shoot in their bar. They couldn't have been more obliging – opened their doors to us on a Sunday morning and told us to take as long as we wanted. The Gateway Hotel, too, has been unbelievably helpful.
You can watch all of the Hardy Bucks on Netflix but the show is perhaps best experienced on youtube.
