IRELAND, NORTHERN

 Northern Ireland, also known as the 6 counties, is the northern part of Ireland which is still a part of Britain (the united kingdom of great Britain and northern Ireland) and has a capital city of Belfast. From 1800 to 1921 the island of Ireland was part of (or occupied by) Britain. 1921 saw the setting up of the Irish Free State which consisted of the 26 counties where there was a Catholic majority. this was later to become the Republic of Ireland. the 6 counties of the North east, which were largely Protestant, became Northern Ireland and stayed within the British state.

Banknotes issued by Northern Irish banks are legal tender in northern Ireland only but are accepted in other countries of the UK. Northern Ireland has 4 banknote issuing banks which are :

The bank of Ireland

The Northern Bank

The Ulster bank

The First Trust Bank (formerly allied Irish Banks and before that the provincial bank of Ireland)

Monetary unit:

1 Pound = 20 shillings = 240 pence  ( up to 1971)
1 Pound = 100 pence (1971 onward)


The notes above are the Bank of Ireland £5 note and £1 note.The £5 note has the Queen's university of Belfast on the reverse -( all notes from the bank of Ireland between 1990 and 2008 had the university on the reverse) this note is from 1994, on the front we have Hibernia seated on the left with the 6 county sheilds on the upper middle of the note. the £1 note was discontinued in 1984 and the one we have here is a 1977 note with mercury on the left and a woman with a harp on the right on the front and the bank building with 4 illustrations of the manufacturing heritage - aeroplane , boat , paper and wool.

The Northern bank, now called Danske bank (from 2012) is one of the oldest banks in Ireland set up in 1809. The note above is the £10 note from 1993.It features J B Dunlop, the scotsman living in Ireland who invented the Pneumatic Tyre with an early car and bicycle featuring too. The Northern Bank is also noted for being the bank that was robbed for the biggest amount in either Irish or British History. The Northern Bank Robbery took place on 20th December 2004  and the robbers made of with over £26.5 million.Only one person has been charged with money laundering so far!!

The Ulster Bank limited , set up in 1836, is another of the big 4 issuing banks in Northern Ireland. The £1 above is the 1976 note featuring as most ulster bank notes do, 3 views of Belfast  and the reverse has the arms with the Latin  NIHIL IMPOSSIBILE ERIT VOBIS which roughly translates as Nothing shall be impossible (for) you. the £5 note has similar markings but is from 1992 and shows up horizontal and vertical bars under UV light. In 2006 Ulster Bank issued a commemorative issue for the anniversary of George Best's death.

Allied Irish banks Limited ,  is now called First Trust Bank in Northern Ireland (since 1991)> the note here is the £5 from 1984 with a young woman on the front and Dunluce Castle on the reverse.