Art Deco Ireland

    Paul Manship and the Irish Currency   

Well known American Art Deco sculptor Paul Manship was one of a number of artists invited to participate in the competition to select the first Irish currency designed after independence. His designs were not selected, designs by P Metcalf were chosen instead and were retained, with modification, until the euro was adopted.

 The Manship designs  respected the fairly conservative design brief set by the selection board, which was chaired by the Irish  poet W B Yeats. Manship was much admired for his designs incorporating animals, - particularly bulls. The Irish inscription shown here literally reads as "half sixpence".

Art Deco Ireland