Irish Coins

There have been three sets of coins in Ireland since independence. In all three, the coin showed a Celtic harp on the obverse.

  1. The pre-decimal coins of the Irish pound had important animals on the reverse.

 

2. The decimal coins retained some of these but featured ornamental birds on the lower denominations,

 

 

 

 

 

3. The euro coins used the common design of the euro currencies.

The pre-decimal and original decimal coins were of the same dimensions as the same-denomination British coins, as the Irish pound was in currency union with the British pound sterling. British coins were widely accepted in Ireland, and conversely, to a lesser extent. In 1979, Ireland joined the Exchange Rate Mechanism, and the Irish pound left parity with sterling; coin designs introduced after this differed between the two countries.