THE ARTIST who designed the last Irish bank notes before the euro was introduced has said that if he were to design a new Irish currency, the notes would be blank.
Eurosceptic Robert Ballagh believes the euro will collapse and when it does, he has his own ideas for what the country’s future currency should look like.
“Ireland would effectively become a provincial province of Europe with no sovereignty or identity so I would design it blank with one line of text in German stating: ‘The Irish province of the new German-led euro’,” said Ballagh.
“Our sovereignty will be gone, everything will be gone. In political terms, the aspirations of the people who fought to create an independent Irish State will have effectively evaporated.”
Ballagh, who fiercely opposed the introduction of the euro in 2002, said Ireland’s dependence on Europe over the last 10 years has stamped out its identity.
He said a future currency would not deserve the art and symbolism he gave to his past designs. “I don’t think new notes would deserve any kind of artistry,” he said. “Bank notes are supposed to symbolise a nation’s history and culture. How would you represent Ireland as it is now or where it’s going?”
Ballagh voiced his fears of Ireland joining a fiscal union with the euro zone states. – (PA)