The political relationship between England and Ireland dates from the 12th century with the establishment of the Lordship of Ireland. After almost four centuries of the Lordship, the declaration of the independence of the Church of England from papal supremacy and the rejection of the authority of the Holy See required the creation of a new basis to legitimise the continued rule of the English monarch in Ireland. In 1542, the Crown of Ireland Act was passed by both the English and Irish Parliaments. The Act established a sovereign Kingdom of Ireland with Henry VIII as King of Ireland. Both parliaments later passed the Acts of Union 1800 by which a new state was created - the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922, twenty-six counties of Ireland gained autonomy from the U.K. as the Irish Free State; in 1949, the State was declared to be a Republic and the last vestiges of royal power were abolished. The Republic of Ireland left the Commonwealth of Nations. The remaining six counties of the island of Ireland constituted the territory of Northern Ireland. In 1927, the realm, consisting of combined territories of Northern Ireland and Great Britain, was renamed the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". Today, unionism is almost exclusively an issue for Northern Ireland. It is concerned with the governance of and relationship between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

How many years was it between the Irish Free State being founded and the republic declared?
A: 27

The Ravens wore their alternate uniforms in the game, hosting cross-conference rivals The Washington Redskins at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens scored early following an Ed Reed interception that set up a short touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Le'Ron McClain. With just under ten minutes to go, Washington ran Clinton Portis up the middle for a first down, but Portis fumbled. Raven Ed Reed recovered the ball and advanced it for a touchdown; the Redskins unsuccessfully challenged, contending Portis was down by contact. Those would be the only points on the board for either team in the first half. In the second half, a long Ravens drive beginning at just under eleven minutes to go in the third quarter set up a 32-yard Matt Stover field goal. The Redskins answered with a drive starting late in the third quarter and ending in the early fourth quarter that set up a 43-yard Shaun Suisham field goal. Receiving the kickoff, Baltimore ran just two plays before surrendering the ball to Washington on a Willis McGahee fumble that led to a short drive capped by a touchdown pass from Jason Campbell to Antwaan Randle El. Another kickoff led to a very long Baltimore drive that consumed most of the remaining time. Ten of twelve plays were runs by Le'Ron McClain. A 28-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason capped this drive. With three and a half minutes left, the Redskins next drive ended in an Ed Reed interception that enabled Baltimore to burn most of the remaining time. The Redskins took possession for their final series with 0:16 remaining but could not score.

How many field goals were kicked in the game?
A: 2

Coming of their road win over the Rams, the Cardinals went home for an NFC West rematch with the Seattle Seahawks.  In the first quarter, the Cards drew first blood with QB Matt Leinart completing a 56-yard TD pass to WR Bryant Johnson, while RB Edgerrin James (who ran for 115 yards on the day) got a 7-yard TD run.  The Seahawks would respond with QB Matt Hasselbeck's 23-yard TD pass to WR D.J. Hackett.  In the second quarter, the Big Red increased its lead with kicker Neil Rackers getting a 32-yard field goal, yet Seattle responded with Hasselbeck's 5-yard TD pass to WR Nate Burleson.  In the third quarter, Arizona temporarily lost the lead as Hasselbeck completed a 2-yard TD pass to WR Darrell Jackson for the only score of the period.  Fortunately, in the fourth quarter, Arizona reclaimed the lead and won with Leinart's 5-yard TD pass to WR Larry Fitzgerald and Rackers' 40-yard field goal.  With the upset win, the Cardinals improved to 4-9.

Which quarterback threw the shortest touchdown pass of the first quarter?
A:
Matt Hasselbeck