Bank of Ireland - Banknotes

Banknotes

Main article: Banknotes of the Bank of Ireland (Northern Ireland) See also: Banknotes of Northern Ireland and Banknotes of the pound sterling

Although the Bank of Ireland is not a central bank, it does have Sterling note-issuing rights in the United Kingdom. While the Bank is headquartered in Dublin, it has operations in Northern Ireland, where it retains the legal right (dating from before the partition of Ireland) to print its own banknotes. These are pound sterling notes and equal in value to Bank of England notes, and should not be confused with banknotes of the former Irish pound.

Until April 2008, all Bank of Ireland notes featured the Queen's University of Belfast on the reverse side. A new series of £5, £10 and £20 notes issued in April 2008 (New-look notes will begin to be circulated in April), all featuring an illustration of the Old Bushmills Distillery on the reverse side, and these notes will gradually replace the previous series.

The principal difference between the denominations is their colour and size:

• 5 pound note, blue
• 10 pound note, pink
• 20 pound note, green
• 50 pound note, blue-green

The Bank of Ireland does not issue banknotes in the Republic of Ireland. Section 60 of the Currency Act 1927 removed the right of Irish banks to issue banknotes, however "consolidated banknotes", of a common design issued by all "Shareholder Banks" under the Act, were issued between 1929 and 1953. These notes were not legal tender.