Irish euro coins all share the same design by the hand of Jarlath Hayes, that of the harp, a traditional symbol for Ireland since the Middle Ages, based on that of the Brian Boru Harp, housed in Trinity College, Dublin, and said to have once been owned by ancient High King of Ireland, Brian Boru. The same harp is used as the official seals of the Taoiseach, and government ministers and the Official Seal of the President of Ireland. The coins' design also features the 12 stars of the EU, the year of imprint and the Irish name for Ireland, "ÉIRE", in the traditional Gaelic script alphabet. The Eurozone (also called Euro Area, Eurosystem or Euroland) is the subset of European Union member states which have adopted the euro, creating a currency union. ... A microstate is a sovereign state having a very small population or very little land area - usually both. ... The harp is a stringed instrument which has its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The Coat of Arms of the Republic of Ireland. ... The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin or more commonly Trinity College, Dublin was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, and is the only constituent college of the University of Dublin, Irelands oldest university. ... Although the traditional list of those bearing the title High King of Ireland (Irish: Ard Rí Éirinn) goes back thousands of years, into the second millennium BC, most scholars believe that the earlier parts of the list, at least, are largely mythical. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Taoiseach (plural: Taoisigh) or, more formally, An Taoiseach, is the head of government of the Republic of Ireland and the leader of the Irish cabinet. ... The Official Seal of the President of Ireland (Irish: Séala Oifigeamhail Uachtarán na hÉireann) was presented to the first President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde and every subsiquent president to be affixed to every ...order, commission, warrant, or other instrument. ... The Council of Europe (COE) has developed a series of European symbols for the continent of Europe, and these have since been shared with the European Union (EU). ... Map of Éire Éire (pronounced ) is the Irish name for Ireland. ...

For images of the common side and a detailed description of the coins, see Euro coins. The euro (EUR or €) is the currency of 12 European Union (EU) member states (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain), four European microstates that had currency agreements with EU member states (Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City State), and two parts... The euro (EUR or €) is the currency of 12 European Union (EU) member states (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain), four European microstates that had currency agreements with EU member states (Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City State), and two parts...

Depiction of Irish euro coinage | Obverse side

€ 0.01	€ 0.02	€ 0.05
The traditional Irish harp
€ 0.10	€ 0.20	€ 0.50
The traditional Irish harp
€ 1.00	€ 2.00	€ 2 Coin Edge
		The edge lettering features the number "2" six times alternated with ** for a total of 12 stars
The traditional Irish harp

Image of euro coinage. ... Image of euro coinage. ... Image of euro coinage. ... Image of euro coinage. ... Image of euro coinage. ... Image of euro coinage. ... Image of euro coinage. ... Image of euro coinage. ...

See also

• Coinage of the Republic of Ireland

This version of the harp, on a 1990 Irish pound, has been on Irish coinage circulated from 1939 until 2000. ...

External links

• Official Euro Coin Sets in UNC / Proof / Silver Coins
• European Central Bank (www.euro.ecb.int)
• Central Bank of Ireland (www.centralbank.ie)