The Central Bank of Ireland has issued a circulating commemorative €2 coin to commemorate the centennial of the Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament). 

The obverse design depicts the first sitting of the Dáil Éireann in the Round Room. 

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Governance of the Irish nation began on Jan. 21, 1919, and the sitting was conducted entirely in the Irish language to mark the symbolic nature of the meeting. The large Round Room of the Mansion House arcs above the vast congregation of the nation’s first elected Dáil. 

The words “An Chéad Dáil” (translating to “The First Dáil”) at the center of the design, together with the year 1919 at the top, are inscribed in a traditional uncial font. At the bottom are inscribed the name of the country and the year of issuance, ÉIRE 2019.

In total, 1 million coins were released into circulation beginning in January. 

The ringed-bimetallic coin has a copper-nickel core and copper-aluminum-nickel ring.

The coin’s outer ring holds the 12 stars of the European flag. The common reverse shows a map of the European Union.

The €2 coin weighs 8.5 grams and measures 25.75 millimeters in diameter.

Each nation is allowed to issue up to two different circulating commemorative designs annually, with designs of their choosing, though few nations issue the maximum number of designs.

Joint euro programs like the 2015 coins honoring the 30th anniversary of the flag of the European Union do not count toward this limit. 

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