Numismatic Design
100 Years of Dáil Éireann
The first meeting of Dáil Éireann was held in the Mansion House in 1919 and it was the beginning of a long journey of law-making and politics that shaped our country into the progressive democracy it is today.
Governance of our fledgling nation began on the 21st of January and was conducted entirely in the Irish language to mark the symbolic nature of the meeting. The design here commemorates just that. The large ‘Round Room’ of the Mansion House arcs above the vast congregation of the nation’s first elected Dáil and the words “An Chéad Dáil, 1919” are scribed in a traditional uncial font.
The design was minted as a special €100 collector’s piece and also adapted as a €2 circulation coin.
Pictured at the launch, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Nial Ring, Minister Regina Doherty, Governor of the Central Bank, Philip Lane, Minister for Finance, Paschal O’Donoghue.
€2 Circulation Coin (click to enlarge)
“With this coin we remember the first elected representatives of Dáil Éireann and the foundations they laid that started us on our journey to becoming the confident, inclusive, modern, outward-looking country we are today.”
Commemorating 100 years of Ireland as we know it...
Atop the GPO stands the statue of Hibernia. Her name was taken from the ancient Greek reference for our country and her form was realised by the sculptor John Smyth.
She bore witness to the events of 1916 and for the one hundred years since she has seen the nation blossom before her. She continues to look forward and is a symbol of the past, present and future of this country.
The centenary is noted and ‘Hibernia’ appears in hand-rendered lettering that takes influence from the Book of Kells.
€8 million worth of these coins were minted to celebrate the centenary of those Easter events.
Listen to RTE Morning Ireland launch interview:
“It’s a significant achievement for us to mint and issue our own circulating commemorative coin”
Reimagining a Classic
Percy Metcalfe was the artist commissioned to create Ireland's first coin designs for the Irish Republic. To commemorate his works of Irish animal life a new design was borne from the original. The simple introduction of the animal's young highlighted how these designs were now gracing the relatively new Euro currency.
The original designs were completely redrawn and care taken to ensure they retained the subtle, stylistic renders of Percy Metcalfe.
Samuel Beckett Centenary
Celebrating Samuel Beckett with a scene from 'Waiting For Godot'. Two coins were minted by the Central Bank of Ireland; a €10 Silver proof coin and a €20 Gold proof.
“...a treasured memento of this unique tribute to one of Ireland’s greatest writers”
Ryder Cup Commemorative Stamps
When Ireland hosted the Ryder Cup the Irish Postal Service (An Post) decided to release a set of illustrative stamps to celebrate the occasion.
With this, they produced a first for Ireland; lenticular stamps. Actual video footage printed with lenticular technology.
The Ploughman
Commemorating Ireland's first banknote this coin reimagines the original artwork of 'The Ploughman' in a silver and gold proof edition.
Accession to the European Union
In 2005 ten new countries joined the European Union. Ireland held the Presidency of the EU at the time and so commemorated the historic event by minting a €10 silver proof coin. Depicted is a decorative swan welcoming her ten new additions. To mark the Irish presidency the swan is illustrated with a Celtic style.
