Banknotes of the Bank of Ireland (Northern Ireland) facts for kids
Banknotes are special paper or plastic money. The Bank of Ireland has been making its own banknotes for use in Northern Ireland since 1922.
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History of Banknotes
The Bank of Ireland is not a central bank, like the Bank of England. However, it still has the right to print its own money in the United Kingdom. Even though the Bank of Ireland's main office is in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, it also works in Northern Ireland.
It has had the legal right to print its own banknotes there since before Ireland was divided into two parts. These notes are pound sterling notes. They are worth the same as notes printed by the Bank of England. It's important not to mix them up with the old Irish pound notes. The Bank of Ireland does not print banknotes in the Republic of Ireland. Before the Republic started using the euro in 1999, only the Central Bank of Ireland printed money there.
Older Banknotes (1922–1970)
Bank of Ireland notes were first printed in 1922. These older notes were used until 1970.
Modern Banknotes (1971–Present)
New types of notes have been printed since 1971. This was when the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland changed to a decimal currency system. This means money was counted in tens, like 100 pennies in a pound.
What's on the Notes?
The front side of Bank of Ireland banknotes shows the Bank of Ireland logo. Below the logo, there are six small shields. Each shield stands for one of the six counties in Northern Ireland. Below the shields, you can see a picture of a woman called Hibernia. She is a symbol of Ireland. Around her is the Bank's Latin saying, Bona Fides Reipublicae Stabilitas. This means "Good Faith is the Cornerstone of the State."
Changes in Designs
In April 2008, new £5, £10, and £20 notes were released. These notes all showed a picture of the Old Bushmills Distillery on the back. Before 2008, all Bank of Ireland notes had a picture of the Queen's University of Belfast on the back instead.
In 2013, another new series of notes came out. These included £5, £10, £20, and £50 notes. The front designs were the same, with Hibernia, the shields, and the logo. The back designs still featured the Old Bushmills Distillery, just like the 2008 series.
Plastic Banknotes
In February 2019, the Bank of Ireland started printing new notes on a special plastic material called polymer. The pictures on these plastic notes are the same as the paper ones. However, their size is now the same as the Bank of England's notes.
Note Colours and Values
The main difference between the notes is their colour and size.
See also
