# Irish euro coins

Irish euro coins all share the same design by 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. The same harp is used as on the official seals of the Taoiseach, and government ministers and the seal of the president of Ireland. The coins' design also features the 12 stars of the EU, the year of issue and the Irish name for Ireland, "Éire", in a traditional Gaelic script.

## Irish euro design

All Irish euro coins bear the same design on their obverse side: a Celtic harp based on the Trinity College Harp, flanked to the left and right by the word "ÉIRE" (Irish for Ireland) and the year the coin was struck, written in Gaelic type. These in turn are surrounded by the 12 stars of the flag of Europe. On the one-euro coin the stars appear on the gold coloured surround with the harp and words in the silver coloured centre. The colours are in the reverse for the two euro coin.
| National Identifier | "ÉIRE" (in Gaelic type) |
| Mint Mark | None |
| Engravers Initials | None |
| €2 Edge inscription | |

## Circulating mintage quantities

The following table shows the mintage quantity for all Irish euro coins, per denomination, per year.
| Face Value | €0.01 | €0.02 | €0.05 | €0.10 | €0.20 | €0.50 | €1.00 | €2.00 |
| 2002 | 404 365 000 | 354 665 000 | 456 295 000 | 275 935 000 | 234 605 000 | 144 165 000 | 135 165 000 | 90 615 000 |
| 2003 | 77 965 000 | 177 355 000 | 48 415 000 | 133 885 000 | 57 205 000 | 11 875 000 | 2 585 000 | 2 695 000 |
| 2004 | 174 870 000 | 143 040 000 | 82 370 000 | 36 810 000 | 32 460 000 | 6 790 000 | 1 670 000 | 3 780 000 |
| 2005 | 128 600 000 | 74 700 000 | 56 560 000 | 7 200 000 | 40 540 000 | 17 360 000 | 6 870 000 | 13 520 000 |
| 2006 | 110 970 000 | 26 590 000 | 89 810 000 | 9 640 000 | 10 400 000 | 7 500 000 | 4 040 000 | 5 120 000 |
| 2007 | 163 800 000 | 200 940 000 | 136 210 000 | 76 990 000 | 34 470 000 | 8 680 000 | 5 700 000 | 7 410 000 |
| 2008 | 46 150 000 | 35 830 000 | 61 900 000 | 56 560 000 | 46 000 000 | 1 220 000 | 2 590 000 | 6 110 000 |
| 2009 | 52 200 000 | 44 280 000 | 11 330 000 | 11 770 000 | 5 420 000 | 2 930 000 | 3 320 000 | 1 040 000 |
| 2010 | 10 940 000 | 3 490 000 | 1 010 000 | 1 070 000 | 1 020 000 | 1 160 000 | 1 070 000 | 1 460 000 |
| 2011 | 40 970 000 | 4 720 000 | 1 010 000 | 940 000 | 1 160 000 | 1 080 000 | 1 080 000 | 1 040 000 |
| 2012 | 61 392 000 | 11 932 000 | 1 042 000 | 1 082 000 | 992 000 | 1 012 000 | 1 032 000 | 8 784 000 |
| 2013 | 61 479 000 | 34 814 000 | 1 057 000 | 951 000 | 1 299 000 | 975 000 | 973 000 | 1 065 000 |
| 2014 | 35 143 000 | 3 124 000 | 1 067 000 | 1 092 000 | 1 195 000 | 1 079 000 | 989 000 | 5 318 000 |
| 2015 | 41 000 | 41 000 | 1 101 000 | 9 061 000 | 1 121 000 | 1 131 000 | 1 091 000 | 1 182 323 |
| 2016 | 214 000 | 164 000 | 84 000 | 2 284 000 | 84 000 | 84 000 | 84 000 | 10 679 000 |
| 2017 | 17 170 | 17 120 | 790 980 | 197 255 | 17 115 | 17 260 | 92 300 | 92 730 |
| 2018 | 25 980 | 25 990 | 30 072 180 | 185 800 | 126 030 | 85 990 | 85 710 | 89 440 |
| 2019 | 9 000 | 9 000 | 30 009 000 | 10 009 000 | 9 000 | 9 000 | 9 000 | 9 000 |
| 2020 | 10 000 | 10 221 | 44 992 107 | 10 296 | 85 100 | 85 100 | 70 000 | 86 500 |
| Bold - Small quantities minted for sets only. |||||||||

## Commemorative coins

Limited release in 2010, featuring an Irish hunter horse and foal.
Limited release in 2011, featuring a salmon and smolt.
Limited release in 2012, featuring an Irish wolfhound and pup.
Wide release (in common with all Euro nations) in 2007, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.
Wide release (in common with all Euro nations) in 2009, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Economic and Monetary Union.
Wide release (in common with all Euro nations) in 2012, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the euro coins and banknotes.
Wide release (in common with all Euro nations) in 2015, commemorating the 30th anniversary of adoption of the European flag by the European Economic Community.
Wide release in 2016, with the figure of Hibernia on top of the Dublin G.P.O. Building, commemorating the centenary of the Easter Rising.
Wide release in 2019, commemorating the centenary of the First Dáil.
Commemorative €2 in 2023, commemorating 50 Years of Ireland's E.U. membership.

## Usage of 1 cent and 2 cent coins

As 1c and 2c coins are of comparatively low value, a National Payments Plan prepared by the Central Bank of Ireland approved by the Government in April 2013 plans "to trial the use of a rounding convention in a pilot project in a mid-size Irish town", with the 1c and 2c no longer being minted while remaining legal tender. The cost of producing a 1 cent coin is 1.65c and the cost of producing a 2 cent coin is 1.94c.
Beginning on Wednesday 28 October 2015 Ireland followed The Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Hungary and, in introducing so-called Swedish rounding. While individual prices are still shown and summed up with 1-cent precision, the total sum is then rounded to the nearest 5 cents when paying with cash. Sums ending in 1, 2, 6 and 7 cents are rounded down; sums ending in 3, 4, 8 and 9 cents are rounded up.
The 1 cent and 2 cent coins remain legal tender, and rounding is voluntary for both the customer and retailer, the Central Bank of Ireland advises "for Rounding to happen, both the retailer and the customer must accept it; both will have the right to use exact change".
Rounding applies only to cash payments and does not apply to bills paid electronically - by debit card, credit card or by store card.