And May Your God Go With You - Dave Allen Quiz | Celebrities

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. We all know him as Dave Allen, but what was his real name?

Answer: David Tynan O'Mahoney

David Tynan O'Mahoney was born on 6 July 1936 in Dublin. His father, Cully Tynan O'Mahoney, was managing editor of the Irish Times; his mother Jean was English. His grandmother, Nora O'Mahoney, was editor of the Freeman's Journal, another publication.

2. Allen followed his father into journalism, but clearly his heart wasn't in carrying copy from one desk to another. He drifted from job to job, then found his first one in the public eye. What job was this that he took in Skegness?

Answer: Butlin's Redcoat

For those who aren't familiar with the concept of a holiday camp, Butlin's was probably the best known of the big three - Butlin's, Pontin's and Warners'. These were essentially enclosed tracts of land with chalets, a dining hall, a pool, perhaps a dance floor or cinema or pool room.

The Redcoats were Butlin's staff - a cross between entertainer and general steward. At first Allen claimed to hate being on stage, but the bug bit and he never looked back. He worked there for three years.

3. Watching Allen sipping his whiskey, one would notice that he was missing part of a finger. How did he lose it?

Answer: no one is sure

All of them were given in explanation by Dave Allen at some point or other, but no one is really sure how it happened. Another 'explanation' he gave was that he had it cut off to avoid doing his National Service. Still another version is that he caught his finger in a cog while still in school.

4. In 1964, Dave Allen married. She was an actress he met in Australia; what was her name?

Answer: Judith Stott

Judith Mary Stott was seven years older than Allen and already divorced with one son. She and Allen had two children, Jane O'Mahony, born in 1966, and Edward James Tynan O'Mahony, born in 1968. She appears to have been in only two films, "The Queen's Guards" (1961) and "Night of the Eagle" (1962).

She and Allen later divorced.

5. Allen's first television appearance was in which year and on which show?

Answer: 1959, New Faces

In 1959 Dave Allen first appeared on our tellies hosting the show, "New Faces". I am quite sure he was far more debonair than the usual hosts, Mickey Most and Tony Hatch! The show was an early, and less fawning, version of the show "Opportunity Knocks".

6. Much of Dave Allen's comedy came from his early experiences with religion. In which religion was he raised?

Answer: Roman Catholic

Dave Allen was raised a Roman Catholic. His description of his education with the Catholic Christian Brothers was that they "literally beat the fear of God into me". As an adult he became an athiest.

7. Dave Allen was an artist, and not just with words - true or false?

Answer: True

Missing part of a finger obviously didn't hamper Allen's ability with brush and paint. His work was exhibited in Edinburgh in 2001, in an exhibition called "Private Views".

8. How many children did Dave Allen have?

Answer: 3

Allen had three children. Jane (born in 1966) and Edward (born in 1968) were from his marriage to Judith Stott, who he divorced in 1983. Two months after Allen's death, his new wife, Karin, gave birth to their only child, Cullum Allan O'Mahony.

9. Allen's comedy was often controversial. His portrayal of which public figure doing a strip-tease caused total uproar?

Answer: The Pope

It was the Pope, the target of a lot of his humour. Allen had a particular disdain for the Roman Catholic Church, having endured some of the less pleasant aspects of being taught in church schools in his youth. Of course, no one else was immune to his rather pointed wit, and he held nothing sacred.

10. Did Dave Allen end most of his shows with the words, "Goodnight, thank you, and may your God go with you"?

Answer: yes

After convulsing one with laughter, riling some with somewhat risque stories (apparently Mary Whitehouse was not exactly a fan), scandalising others with his portrayal of religious figures gone amuck, he would end his show with a phrase that summed up the absurdity of it all: here was an atheist wishing us the company of our God.

Dave Allen died in his sleep on 10 March 2005. He wanted his tombstone to read

Don't mourn for me now
Don't mourn for me never
I'm going to do nothing
For ever and ever.

Source: Author CariM0952

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nannanut before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

And May Your God Go With You - Dave Allen Quiz

Sitting on a stool, telling jokes and sipping at whiskey - sounds like a boring night on the telly, but Dave Allen kept us laughing. How much do you know of this man?

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>