The euro replaced Ireland’s pound when Ireland joined the euro area.
Ireland was one of the first countries to adopt the euro as its official currency. The euro became Ireland’s accounting currency on 1 January 1999, and euro cash replaced Irish pound notes and coins on 1 January 2002. The conversion rate was fixed at €1 for £0.787564 Irish pounds.
Ireland’s former currency was commonly called the Irish pound or punt. It had been linked closely to sterling for much of its history, but Ireland joined the European Monetary System in 1979 and later moved toward the single European currency. Irish euro coins carry a harp, a long-standing national symbol.
The euro is divided into 100 cents and uses the ISO code EUR. Ireland remains part of the euro area, while the United Kingdom, which is geographically nearby, retained pound sterling and never adopted the euro.