The history of the Irish pound spans seventy-five years, from the introduction of the Saorstát pound in 1927 to the changeover to euro banknotes and coin in 2002. For most of this period, the Irish pound had a fixed link to sterling. It was only in the 1970s that this link was seriously questioned when it failed to deliver price stability.
This article provides a brief overview of the pound's origins, before looking in more detail at the questioning of the sterling link and events leading up to Ireland joining the EMS. Although early experiences in the EMS were disappointing, membership eventually delivered low inflation, both in absolute terms and relative to the UK, and laid the foundations for the later move to EMU.
The path to EMU is followed in some detail. This covers practical preparations, assessment of benefits and costs and necessary changes in monetary policy instruments and legislation.
Finally, the completion of the changeover encompasses the huge tasks of printing and minting sufficient amounts of euro cash, of distributing this to banks and retailers, and of withdrawing Irish pound cash, as well as the efforts of all sectors to ensure that the final changeover from the Irish pound to the euro was smooth and rapid.
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