1

On what date this year was trading in Anglo Irish Bank shares suspended on the Irish stock market following the Government’s decision to nationalise the company?

2Who is the current chief executive of the Irish Stock Exchange?

3What make and model of car was former director of Fás Rody Molloy allowed to keep on leaving the State agency?

4Elinor Ostrom became the first woman to do what in 2009?

5At precisely what time (Irish time) and on what date in 2009 was Arthur's Day celebrated?

6How many branches has Irish Nationwide Building Society got?

7Ken Rohan recently announced that he is stepping down as managing director and chairman of his property business. Name the holding company for his operations?

8Paddy Power bought a majority stake in Australian company Sportsbet in May. Name the fellow Australian company that Sportsbet subsequently bought out in June.

9Bord Gáis began competing with the ESB in the residential electricity market this year. Name the television personality who fronted its ad campaign.

10Microsoft spent a reported $100 million to market the launch of a new search engine to compete with Google – what is it called?

11What was the annual basic salary (excluding pension and other payments) paid to Colm Doherty as head of AIB Capital Markets before he agreed to take a pay cut to €500,000 to become the bank's group managing director in November?

12Which insurer is lending its name to the new Lansdowne Road under a multimillion euro sponsorship deal with the IRFU and the FAI?

13Who was chosen as the 2009 Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year?

14Who was the most popular user of the social networking website Twitter at the beginning of December 2009 – with just more than four million followers?

15Who were the only two individuals to hold on to their positions as either chairman or chief executive of Irish-owned, State-guaranteed financial institutions during 2009?

16Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic unveiled the first of its SpaceShipTwo commercial space vehicles in December. But what was the name given to the first ship?

17What are the names of the two missing companies, X and Y, in this quote, and identify the name of the British businesswoman who said it. "It appals me that a company like X that makes something you put on your hamburger could end up owning Y."

18Who is the current chairman of the Dublin Airport Authority, and who was his predecessor?

19Who were Denis O'Brien's three representatives on the board of Independent News Media in 2009?

20Which Dublin-based public relations firm won contracts to represent Aer Lingus and Eircom in 2009?

21Apple's co-founder and chief executive Steve Jobs returned to work this year following a liver transplant. What is Jobs's annual salary?

22Eircom has two distinct mobile phone brands. Meteor is one. What is the name of the other?

23The picture round: identify the four senior Irish business figures (see left)

24Which Irish company has a large stake in the Nasdaq-listed group Green Plains Renewable Energy?

25"Bull" was seized by US authorities in Florida in 2009. What is "Bull", and who was its then owner?

26Online retailer Amazon launched its e-book device in the Irish market this year. What is it called?

27What is the total amount of capital injected so far by the Government into AIB, Bank of Ireland and the nationalised Anglo Irish Bank?

28Which portfolio does Ireland's recently appointed European Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn hold?

29Which five entrepreneurs featured as investors in the first series of the Dragon's Denprogramme on RTÉ?

30Brian Moynihan, Bank of America's recently appointed chief executive, has vowed not to move its headquarters to New York. In which city is the bank currently based?

31What was the level of Ireland's national debt at the end of November 2009 as stated by the National Treasury Management Agency?

32How much per share did Ryanair bid for Aer Lingus the second time around before pulling its takeover approach in January 2009?

33Which company bought Smart Telecom out of examinership in 2009?

34Who is the current chairman of listed agri group Donegal Creameries?

35Which Irish listed company was the subject of a takeover offer in 2009 by an entity called LearnVantage?

36Who was recently appointed as interim chief financial officer at Aer Lingus?

37In the United States, TARP has been a key tool in the government's bank bailout programme. What does the acronym TARP stand for?

38Why was Toji Holdings Ltd in the news in 2009?

39Which wealthy Russian businessman is in talks to acquire Independent News Media's loss-making London national newspaper titles?

40In September, what did the Government estimate to be the current market value of the properties and assets backing the €77 billion of loans moving to Nama?

QUIZ RULES

Entries should be sent by mail to:

2009 Business Quiz, Ciarán Hancock, The Irish Times, 24-28 Tara Street, Dublin 2 or by e-mail to chancock@irishtimes.com with 2009 Business Quiz in the subject line. The closing date is Friday, January 8th, 2010.

The winner will receive a mixed case of fine French wines from McCabes Wines, The Gables, Foxrock. There will also be a participant’s prize of a bottle of Real Cia Velha Vintage Port 1997 for the first opened entry.