Meet the man behind the Irish question mark.

If you’ve ever talked to anyone about The Hague’s pub quiz scene, you’ve probably heard of the Irish QuestionMark. And if you’ve ever attended The Hague’s most famous events like Life I Live, Embassy Festival and St Patrick’s Day, then you should be familiar with the face of Mark O’Loughlin. But who is the man behind both of these Irish names? Read on to find out.

An Irishman living in The Hague.

In 1993 Mark was offered a job at O’Casey’s Irish Pub (yes, the only pub in Noordeinde down the road from the Palace) so he packed up and let’s take his feet to where his heart is now – The Hague.

Like us, Mark enjoys everything this small, all-rounder city has to offer. Lots of green space, great restaurants (especially “Bitterballen” and “Vrammeches” according to Mark) and (you guessed it) how close you are to the ocean. But what is his favorite place in The Hague? “Boss Jess van Pex”.

“I love the little woods on the river Lahn van Meerdervoort on the way to Kijkduin. I also love lounging on the local beach in the evenings (we Irish have sensitive skin and don’t like the heat of the day. ).There is so much to see from the coast to the city center.”

But it wasn’t just this beautiful city that won his heart. It was love itself, and it was family that made it strong. Mark eventually met his wife in The Hague, had a child, and now proudly wears the ‘Crazy Opa’ hat.

So how did it all begin?

Hailing from the small Northern Irish town of Warrenpoint, Mark O’Loughlin has been entertaining Holland for over 30 years. But Mark’s love of pub quizzes started long ago thanks to his mother who introduced him to the world of pub quizzes at an early age. It started as a way to get free chips (“Taito’s Chips” as Mark puts it) and lemonade, but quickly became a quiz.

“I kept coming back because it was fun and interesting. It was a way for people to get to know each other and a way to keep memories.”

And finally, the Irish question mark was born.

Fast forward to 2023.

Today Mark called the quiz night at the Irish Question Mark Pub “a night full of laughter and music and the perfect way to create better emotions among friends and colleagues. No strangers here Only friends I haven’t met yet.”

Mark runs regular pub quizzes here in The Hague, as well as at the Fiddler and Sherlock Holmes pubs in Delft and Reiswijk. He also produces corporate quiz events and monthly quiz shows to raise funds for charities. Slowly but surely, he is becoming a full-time quiz master, which will be his dream come true for Mark.

“I’m in the Smile business and love quizzing on a rollercoaster of knowledge (or lack of knowledge) with my familiar music playing in the background between questions and answers… I would like to increase the number of venues I host regularly to make it my full-time job.”

what, where and when

If you’re looking for a fun night (‘crazy’ as the Irish call it), full of banter thanks to the witty Mark O’Loughlin, be sure to secure a spot at an Irish restaurant. The usual venue for Question Mark.

• Fiddler: Tuesdays around 20:30 – 23:00*
• Sherlock Holmes Pub: Saturdays, 20:00 – 22:30
• The White Horse Pub (Ricewijk): Thursdays, 20:00 – 22:00*

See irishquestionmark.com/agenda for exact dates.

Quiz nights can get pretty busy, so if you want to secure a spot, it’s best to book a table directly at one of the venues. Of course, you can simply come early and hope for the best (if you don’t have a team, don’t worry, just introduce yourself to Mark and he’ll tell you that he’s on the regular team. add one).

And if all else fails, book him for upcoming celebrations, functions and events.

For more information, please visit: https://www.irishquestionmark.com/quizzes

either way, Hit the whip! You won’t regret it.