Prior to the adoption of the euro, in what country was the punt a unit of currency?

Prior to adopting the euro, the punt was the currency of the Republic of Ireland.

The Irish punt, also called the Irish pound or punt Éireannach, was Ireland’s national currency before the euro. Ireland introduced decimal currency in 1971, replacing older denominations such as shillings and half-crowns. The punt continued in circulation until Ireland joined the euro system.

The euro became Ireland’s official currency for electronic and accounting purposes on January 1, 1999. Euro banknotes and coins entered everyday circulation on January 1, 2002, when Irish punt notes and coins were withdrawn. The fixed conversion rate was 1 euro to 0.787564 Irish punts.

The main trap is confusing the Republic of Ireland with the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland used pound sterling, not the Irish punt. The word “punt” is also the Irish-language equivalent of “pound,” so references to the Irish pound and the punt describe the same currency.