1 Pound Queen Medb 18/08/82

Iconic piece of Irish numismatic history: the Series B £1 "Queen Medb" banknote. First introduced in 1977 as part of the Central Bank of Ireland’s "Series B" banknote issue, this note replaced the long-standing "Lady Lavery" design and remained in circulation until 1990, when it was superseded by the one-pound coin.


Design Details:

Front (Obverse): Features a portrait of Queen Medb (Maeve), the legendary Queen of Connacht from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. The design incorporates pre-Christian era geometric patterns inspired by archaeological bone-slip artifacts and background text derived from the Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley).

Back (Reverse): Features a decorative excerpt from the Lebor na hUidre ("The Book of the Dun Cow"), the oldest surviving manuscript in the Irish language, presented in a dominant green and red color scheme.


Historical Context:

Issued by the Central Bank of Ireland, the Series B banknotes marked a shift in Irish currency design, celebrating figures of Irish history, literature, and mythology rather than allegorical portraits. This £1 note is a quintessential example of late 20th-century Irish design and serves as a tangible link to a pivotal era of the Irish pound before its replacement by the euro.



See images for condition.



Post and Packaging:

Standard Post: €2.50

Registered Post: €10.50