The euro (ISO 4217 Code: EUR, Unicode Symbol: €) is the common currency for Euroland within the European Union, including Ireland. The euro coins have two different sides:

• Obverse side: national side- featuring a design by the EU member state, often a national symbol.
• Reverse side: common side- featuring the common EU design and denomination.

For images of the common side and a detailed description of the coins, see Euro coins. The obverse design of the Irish euro coins is identical to that featured on the back of Irish pound coinage, apart from the circle of 12 stars.

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 Irish state symbol, the Great Seal of Ireland. The coins' design also features the 12 stars of the EU, the year of imprint and the Irish language word for Ireland, "Éire", in the traditional Gaelic script alphabet.

Depiction of Irish euro coinage | Obverse side

€ 0.01	€ 0.02	€ 0.05
The traditional Irish harp	The traditional Irish harp	The traditional Irish harp
€ 0.10	€ 0.20	€ 0.50
The traditional Irish harp	The traditional Irish harp	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	The traditional Irish harp

External links

• European Central Bank (www.euro.ecb.int) (http://www.euro.ecb.int)
• Central Bank of Ireland (www.centralbank.ie) (http://www.centralbank.ie)