Darragh Ennis, known as The Menace on the ITV quiz show The Chase, has revealed the memory techniques he uses to recall important dates and trivia facts. In a video shared on TikTok from the U Havin' Us On? podcast, Ennis explained that rather than relying solely on a large memory, he connects information to things he is passionate about.
Association Over Rote Memory
Ennis stated, "You'll remember anything that you're interested in. You just have to force it to be interesting or linked to something that you know." He illustrated this by recalling the year Guinness signed the lease on Saint James's Gate brewery: 1759. He remembers it as "one minute to six" because 17:59 is one minute before 6pm, which he links to when The Angelus appears on TV. "You have a pint of Guinness just before The Angelus comes on. One minute to six. There you go. That's how I remember it. And I do that with everything," he said.
Building a Knowledge Network
Ennis further explained that once a connection is made, other facts can be linked to it. "If there's anything else that happened in Ireland around that time, you can go 'Okay, that was so many years after that'. Or you can get ballpark ideas of when things happened." He also noted that knowing the approximate era of historical figures helps eliminate wrong answers in quizzes. For instance, he linked Genghis Khan to King John of England, both living around the same period. "I know if a question comes up of 'Who was born in 14 whatever', I know it can't be Genghis Khan because he was with John, which was 11 something to 12 something. So that way you build up [knowledge], and you can just keep doing that," he added.
Viewer Reactions
Viewers responded positively to the video, with one saying, "Great tip, Darragh!" and another adding, "This is how I remember anything." Ennis, who joined The Chase after winning as a contestant, continues to share insights into how the show's experts maintain their vast knowledge.
