Nory Ryan's Song Internet Hunt by Cindy O'Hora
Based on the novel by Patricia Reilly Giff

Directions: Bookmark the hunt page. Use the links (green underlined words) provided to find the answers to the questions.
Use the bookmark to return to the hunt. Note: Several links in this project take you to web servers (computers) in Ireland.
That may mean the pages load a bit slowly. Be patient!
Printer version

1. Nory Ryan loses Anna's coin into St. Patrick's Well. What county in Ireland must you travel to in order to see the well?

 

What else might you see there?

 

 

2. Nory Ryan helps Anna collect a plant called nettles. Why would Anna want to collect nettles?

 

 

View a nettles plant.

3. Throughout the story Nory Ryan is worried about the sidhe. According to this resource, what are they?

Search Encyclopedia Mythica for the answers.

 

 

Why should she have not worried about them?

 

 

4. Nory Ryan gathers limpets to eat. What are they?

 

 

Why are they easy to catch?

 

 

5. Locate the map of Ireland. Use clues in the story to answer the following questions.

In what body of water did the father probably fish?

 

What islands did Maggie pass on the ship when she embarked on her journey to Brooklyn?

 

6. Lord Cunningham demands the Mallons' currach to pay the rent. Describe a currach. (Look it up)

 

 

 

 

7. Nory Ryan makes due for many weeks on the eggs of gannets. How are the birds impacted by the presence of people?

 

 

 

8. Read this report by a student in Ireland. How long has the gannetry been located off the coast of Kerry?

 

 

9. Here is a photo of a thatched roof cottage in Clifden, Ireland.
Contrast it with your home. What are the differences?

 

10. How many people died during The Great Irish Famine?

 

   

11. What is Ms. Giff's formula for writing?

 

 

 

12. How did Giff get the detailed information needed to write her historical novel?

 

 

13. What kind of microbe causes potato blight?

 

How is it spread?

 

How can farmers control it today?

 

 

14. What percentage of the people in Nory's county were living in low class housing at the time of the famine?

 

15. What impact did the Great Famine have on Ireland?

 

 

 

TAI (Think About It) What impact did the Great Famine in Ireland have on the U.S.?

 

 

Done Already?

Nory Writing Activities

Take a Virtual tour of The Emerald Isle

Explore County Mayo

Nory Ryan resources

Potato biology

Personal narrative essay - hunger

Make an Internet hunt about Ireland Select a 5 Minute Irish Story - make an illustration for it
Make a Book Trailer with Photo Story 3 free software and free tutorial  

Go n-eírí an bóthar leat.
May the road rise with you.

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Copyright ©2001 Cynthia J. O'Hora All Rights Reserved, Updated 10/07, posted 11/2002

Save a tree use a digital answer format - Highlight the text. Copy it. Paste it in a word processing document. Save the document in your folder. Answer on the word processing document in a contrasting color (not yellow) or font. Please do not put them on the web because they will show up in a search engine making them like the odd question answers in the back of the math text. Or perhaps you have the resources to record verbal answers. If you do, be sure to first read / record the question. Then record the answer immediately after it.