The decimal one penny (1p) ( ga, pingin) coin was the second smallest denomination of the Irish pound. There were 100 pennies (pence) to the pound. The coin was first issued on Decimal Day, 15 February 1971. It was the second of three new designs introduced all in bronze, the others being a half-penny and a two pence coin. All featured ornamental birds designed by Irish artist

Gabriel Hayes Gabriel Hayes (25 August 1909 – 28 October 1978) was an Irish artist born in Dublin. She was a sculptor and medallist who studied in Dublin, France, and Italy and was also an accomplished painter. Early life and family Mary Gabriel Hayes ...

on the reverse. The coin originally had a diameter of 2.032 centimetres and mass of 3.564

gram The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram. Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure water equal to th ...

s consisting of

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

tin Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal. Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...

and

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

. This was identical to the British decimal penny as the two countries' pounds were pegged until 1979. The coin's official designation was "new penny" and this was changed in 1985 to "penny". In 1990 the decision was taken to produce the coin on a copper-plated steel base as the bronze had become too expensive. The steel base coins are magnetic. The coin was designed by the Irish artist

and the design is adapted from the Book of Kells held in Trinity College, Dublin. In 1990 it was announced that the penny would be redesigned to incorporate the wolfhound design from the pre-decimal sixpence, but this plan was abandoned in the face of the imminent adoption of the

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

. The penny was withdrawn with the introduction of

euro coins There are eight euro coin denominations, ranging from one cent to two euros (the euro is divided into a hundred cents). The coins first came into use in 2002. They have a common reverse, portraying a map of Europe, but each country in the eurozone ...

on 1 January 2002.

References

External links

Irish coinage website - catalogue - decimal penny
* ttp://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1990/en/si/0100.html Coinage (Weight and Composition of and Remedy for Certain Copper Coins) Regulations, 1990 {{Irish currency and coinage penny (decimal coin) One-cent coins