Commemorative silver “Ivan Meštrović” coin presented in Ireland

Prime Minister Ahern expressed satisfaction over the commemoration of such an important event in the Croatian-Irish relations, as he called Meštrović’s bestowal of his design to the young Irish state 80 years ago. Speaking about today’s relations between Croatia and Ireland, Prime Minister Ahern pointed out Ireland’s support for Croatia on its road to full EU membership, noting the growing number of Irish tourists visiting Croatia and the investment of Irish citizens in Croatian real estate. All of this provides good background for further intensification of the two countries’ relations, said Prime Minister Ahern.

Expressing satisfaction with the fat that the political, economic, and cultural relations between Croatia and Ireland are constantly deepening, Ambassador Grubišić described the joint project by the two central banks in printing the commemorative “Ivan Meštrović” coins as a guideline for other joint business ventures.

Ivan Meštrović was one of five artists who in 1927, at the request of Irish poet William Butler Yeats, drew up the propositions for the design of the first coinage of the Irish Free State. Unfortunately, Meštrović received the request, but, as Yeats recorded: “Having discovered that it was past due, Meštrović drew up a magnificent design and generously presented it to the Irish Free State”. Meštrović’s design “Girl with a Harp” has been used by the Central Bank of Ireland since 1965 for its official seal. Eighty years after its publishing, the design has been used for the printing of the commemorative silver coinage in the Croatian version of KN150 and Irish version of €15. The 13,000 coins published for this occasion (3,000 in Zagreb and 10,000 in Dublin) were printed in the mint of the Croatian Monetary Institute, Zagreb.

This project of exceptionally successful co-operation between the Croatian National Bank and the Central Bank of Ireland was launched end-2004 at the initiative of the Croatian Embassy in Dublin and the Croatian Honorary Consul to Ireland, Gerard Danaher, who is also a member of the CBI’s Supervisory Committee.