Ireland 20-PENCE (KM25)

The Irish 'Barnyard Series' of coins features animals that were very important to Ireland's mainly agricultural economy.

The original half-crown coin featured a horse, specifically the Irish Hunter, which was carried over to this 20p issue.

While technically not an actual breed of horse, the Irish Hunter (aka Irish Horse) is traditionally used for all purposes including transportation and working the land.

This design appeared on the first coinage of the Irish Free State in 1928 (KM8), and was struck in silver. The horse design was continued with a modified obverse in 1939 (KM16), a copper-nickel version struck from 1951 to 1967 (KM16.1), and this issue (1986-2000), the last before the introduction of the euro.