Irish euro coins all share the same design by Jarlath Hayes, that of the harp

Harp

The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...

, a traditional symbol for Ireland since the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

, based on that of the Brian Boru harp, housed in Trinity College, Dublin

Trinity College, Dublin

Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...

. The same harp is used as the official seals of the Taoiseach

Taoiseach

The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...

, and government ministers and the Seal of the President of Ireland. The coins' design also features the 12 stars of the EU

European symbols

A number of symbols of Europe have emerged throughout history. Depending on the symbol, they can apply to Europe as a whole, European unity or merely to the European Union...

, the year of imprint and the Irish

Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

 name for Ireland, "ÉIRE

Éire

is the Irish name for the island of Ireland and the sovereign state of the same name.- Etymology :The modern Irish Éire evolved from the Old Irish word Ériu, which was the name of a Gaelic goddess. Ériu is generally believed to have been the matron goddess of Ireland, a goddess of sovereignty, or...

", in the traditional Gaelic script.

Irish euro design

For images of the common side and a detailed description of the coins, see euro coins

Euro coins

There are eight euro coin denominations, ranging from one cent to two euros . The coins first came into use in 2002. They have a common reverse, portraying a map of Europe, but each country in the eurozone has its own design on the obverse, which means that each coin has a variety of different...

.

Circulating Mintage quantities

Face Value	€0.01	€0.02	€0.05	€0.10	€0.20	€0.50	€1.00	€2.00	€2.00 Comm
2002	404,334,788	354,638,386	456,265,848	275,908,284	234,570,562	144,139,592	135,134,737	90,543,166	*
2003	77,902,182	177,290,034	48,352,370	133.815,907	57,142,221	11,812,326	2,520,700	2,631,076	*
2004	174,833,634	143,004,694	80,354,322	36,772,778	32,421,447	6,749,312	1,632,990	3,738,186	*
2005	127,019,391	72,599,884	56,509,380	4,707,786	40,494,062	17,308,568	6,824,777	12,037,981	*
2006	105,468,273	26,628,597	88,058,370	9,263,411	10,417,229	1,021,138	4,078,722	3,920,519	*
2007	18,515,843	84,291,248	36,225,742	54,434,307	12,953,789	4,991,002	1,850,049	5,413,663	4,650,112
2008	5,744,031	52,068	50,000	11,794,508	14,786,835	50,000	2,609,757	5,822,003	*
2009	11,626,863	5,049,923	28,333,341	10,850,328	4,279,307	1,866,011	3,314,828	30,063	3,805,908
2010	4,946,911	3,496,511	1,023,881	1,078,313	1,027,059	1,173,242	1,082,716	1,448,746	*
2011	**	**	**	**	**	**	**	**	*
* No coins were minted that year for that denomination ** Data not available yet *** Small quantities minted for sets only

Identifying marks

National Identifier	"éıʀe"
Mint Mark	None
Engravers Initials	None
€2 Edge inscription

€2 commemorative coins

Ireland is one of the few eurozone countries that so far has not issued an independent €2 euro commemorative coin.

Irish proof sets

In 2006 & 2007 the Central Bank of Ireland issued a limited edition of its Euro coins in proof quality.

Irish starter kit

In 2001 the Central Bank of Ireland issued starter kits for the introduction of the Euro.

External links

• The Euro Information Website – Ireland