Ireland’s Central Bank has launched two new collectors coins to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Michael Collins' death and demand has been extraordinary.
Gerry Quinn, Chief Operations Officer at the Central Bank said its collector coins continue to be very popular with the public and interest in this particular coin has been “overwhelming”.
Collins died on 22nd August 1922, at Béal na mBláth, in County Cork. One of the country's most influential political leaders and patriots, he was shot dead while traveling between Bandon and Macroom as the Irish civil war was raging.
The €20 gold proof coin and a €10 silver proof coin created in his honor were designed by artist Thomas Ryan. They feature a portrait of a young Michael Collins on one side with the harp on the other.
Ryan was also responsible for the old deer IR£1 coin, which was introduced in 1990 to replace the pound note.
Speaking at the launch of the coins, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan said the commemorations planned over the next decade “offer an opportunity for us to recognise the great sacrifices that so many people made in the creation of this state.
“Those of us today who sometimes feel that the task facing us may be insurmountable should remember the challenges faced by those who founded the institutions of this state,” he added.
The Minister said, “The issuance of these coins should be seen as part of the forthcoming decade of commemorations of critical events in our history. I was particularly conscious of this decade of events on 6th December last when making my first Budget speech in Dáil Eireann, which coincided with the 90th anniversary of the signing of the Anglo Irish Treaty."
The coins have an issue limit of 12,000 units for the €20 coin and 8,000 units for the €10 coin. In addition, 6,000 sets featuring both coins are available from today.
Coins can be purchased by downloading an order form on the Central Bank website, by calling 1890 307 607 or directly from the Central Bank of Ireland on Dame Street at a cost of €50 for the gold proof, €48 for the silver proof and €95 for sets featuring both.
7 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.DanOLoingsigh | Aug 21, 2012, 06:42 AM EDT
CurtisJ - Suggest you brush up on WW1 chronology...it was the interlinking guarantees by both the Central Powers AND Allies that led to war...Brits went reluctantly...what did they have to gain? In the end it was fight or see Germany take over Europe...which very nearly happened then, and has more or less happened now!!
curtisjohnson | Aug 18, 2012, 10:00 PM EDT
True, Seanmor. Collins signed the Treaty under the threat of unrestrained modern warfare against non-combatants by the terror state of britain (the same things they falsely accused Germany of as a pretense for WWI).
Seanmor | Aug 17, 2012, 08:31 PM EDT
IrelandNorth: I agree that amnesia is highly visible among revisionist historians. None of the leaders of the so-called War of Independence accepted that Partition (establised in June, 1920 by Westminister)would be permanent, least of all Michael Collins. He reluctantly signed the Treaty, which he saw as a step toward full independence for the whole Irish nation. No amount of Collins commermorative coins can inform the Irish peope of the Big Fella's desire for Reunification and complete sovereignty over all of Ireland's territory.
IrelandNorth | Aug 17, 2012, 05:46 AM EDT
People sacrificed for a 32 county nation not this 26 county state, a sacrifice which has yet to be realised! Collins' Minsterial successor Mr Noonan's apparently unconscious revisionism is unsettling. And calling down history to rubber stamp a unsovereign budget more disturbing indeed. Issue should have been limited to 3,200. Or better still, to historically symbolic numerals such as 1,916/1,867/1,857/1,803/1,798/1,641, etc. Alas, historically amnesia prevails amongst a revisionist Irish political caste, after years of self-interest and collective neglect.
Murph46 | Aug 16, 2012, 06:22 PM EDT
Cool!
merefalow | Aug 16, 2012, 03:31 PM EDT
brilliant/
Fightin69th | Aug 16, 2012, 10:03 AM EDT
Think I'll wait 10 years for the 100 year anniversary coin to be issued