Limited edition gold and silver coins to mark the centenary of the birth of Samuel Beckett were released by the Central Bank today.
The €20 gold coins and €10 silver coins feature an image of the writer against a scene from his play Waiting for Godot.
The coins were designed by Dublin artist Emmet Mullins who won a national design competition in 2005.
They will go on sale on May 2nd at a cost of €50 and €32 respectively.
At a special reception to mark their release in the Gate Theatre in Dublin today, the Governor of the Central Bank, John Hurley said: "The two coins were specially minted to celebrate the life and work of this great man."
Mr Hurley said: "The design of these coins serves to commemorate Samuel Beckett as one of Ireland's leading literary figures.
"Beckett's face endeavours to capture his distinct dramatic pose. Equally dramatic is the depiction on the coins of his most famous work, Waiting for Godot.
"The haunting quality of the two figures under the tree is echoed in Beckett's portrait," he said.
Director and Chairman of the Beckett Centenary Festival, Michael Colgan said: "The beautifully engraved coins are a perfect way to mark the Beckett Centenary Festival and to ensure that this important celebration of Samuel Beckett's work will be remembered long after the Festival has ended."
This is the fourth set of euro collector coins issued by the Central Bank. Last year a €10 silver coin was minted to mark the bi-centenary of the birth of mathematician Sir William Rowan Hamilton.
This followed a coin to mark the accession of 10 new EU member states in 2004 and one to commemorate the Special Olympics in 2003.
All of these collector coins proved popular with the public and were sold out.
