Banknotes of the Republic of Ireland: Twenty Pounds Note 1992-2001
Series B Banknotes
The twenty pound note was issued in November 1992 and last in 2000. The front of the note features a portrait of the Irish political leader Daniel O'Connell, who served as Dublin's Lord Mayor from 1841 to 1842 (Portrait of Daniel O'Connell based on a mezzotint by John Gubbins which is held in the National Gallery of Ireland); the background features Derrynane Abbey, County Kerry. The brick detail in the building is actually '£20' printed repeatedly. This was an added security feature that was often missed by prospective counterfeiters.
Signatures: O'Connaill & Mullarkey.
The back of the note features a Pledge signed in 1845 by O'Connell and others Irish statesmen, with the Four Courts in the background.
Watermark: Lady Hazel Lavery, 20.
The dominant colour of the banknote is violet. Its dimensions are 136.0 × 72.0 millimetres.
Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), often referred to as The Liberator or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century. He campaigned for Catholic Emancipation—including the right for Catholics to sit in the Westminster Parliament, denied for over 100 years—and repeal of the Act of Union which combined Great Britain and Ireland.
Derrynane Abbey is a ruined abbey in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland. It is located near the town of Caherdaniel and is very close to Derrynane House, the house of Daniel O'Connell. Derrynane Abbey is on an island appropriately named Abbey Island. It is accessible from the mainland through a beach. It is believed to have been built in the 6th century.
The Four Courts (Na Ceithre Cúirteanna) is Ireland's main courts building, located on Inns Quay in Dublin. The Four Courts are the location of the Supreme Court, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. Until 2010 the building also housed the Central Criminal Court.
Banknotes of the Republic of Ireland: Series C Banknotes
The Series C Banknotes of the Republic of Ireland were the final series of notes created for the state before the advent of the euro; it replaced Series B Banknotes. The series gradually entered circulation from 1992 and remained in circulation until 2002.
The notes were commissioned by the then Central Bank of Ireland, in five denominations. The Central Bank held a limited competition in 1991 and invited nine Irish artists having decided on the theme itself previous to invitation. The designs of Robert Ballagh were chosen, and his designs were used in all the denominations to follow a unified design pattern.
The theme for this series was people who contributed to the formation of a modern Ireland, and to this effect it includes politicians, a language, literary and religious figure.
These notes incorporated a number of sophisticated features for security, and the partially sighted and blind; such features had not previously seen on banknotes in Ireland.
The notes were commissioned by the then Central Bank of Ireland, in five denominations. The Central Bank held a limited competition in 1991 and invited nine Irish artists having decided on the theme itself previous to invitation. The designs of Robert Ballagh were chosen, and his designs were used in all the denominations to follow a unified design pattern.
The theme for this series was people who contributed to the formation of a modern Ireland, and to this effect it includes politicians, a language, literary and religious figure.
These notes incorporated a number of sophisticated features for security, and the partially sighted and blind; such features had not previously seen on banknotes in Ireland.
Ireland was one of the first countries to qualify to join the "Euro-Zone".
The Irish pound was replaced by Euro € on 1 January 2002, €1 Euro = £0.787564 Irish pound.
5 Pounds 10 Pounds 20 Pounds 50 Pounds 100 Pounds
20 Irish Pound banknotes