Collector coins to honour U2 and Maeve Binchy

The Central Bank will honour U2 and the late Irish author Maeve Binchy with two new collector coins this autumn.

The official €2 U2 coin, marking 50 years since the band formed in 1976, will be unveiled on 25 September. The Central Bank said U2 deserved the tribute because its “music and live shows have inspired generations around the world for decades.”

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Music and live shows have inspired generations around the world for decades.

A €15 silver proof coin celebrating Binchy’s life and legacy will be launched on 2 October. The author, who came from Dalkey in County Dublin, died in July 2012 aged 72. By the time of her death, she had sold about 40 million books in 37 languages.

The Central Bank has previously commemorated Irish cultural figures including Luke Kelly, Phil Lynott, Seán O’Casey and Bram Stoker. It also occasionally issues coins for special events. Last month, it launched a €2 coin marking the start of Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. The bank minted 500,000 of those coins, whose design uses a spiral and 27 discs to represent the EU’s member states.

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Celebrating the life and legacy of beloved author Maeve Binchy, whose warm, unforgettable stories continue to captivate readers across the globe.