The Central Bank has launched a special edition coin set for newborn babies to commemorate their birth.
The set, which is available in pink or blue, featuring eight coins minted in the year the baby is born.
A spokesman for the Central Bank said the sets would be available for the years 2006 onwards. "Demand for our coin sets from collectors at home and abroad is very high, and we find that people use them to mark a special event or celebration such as birth or christening, which may take place during the year," he said.
"Now we are responding to demand from our customers for a set dedicated to marking the year of a baby's birth."
The set is designed to commemorate the birth including a pocket to hold the baby's first photograph and a memento box to keep special items such as the hospital identification tag.
The commemorative coins are available from the Central Bank priced at €25 e.
The spokesman said this was the first time the Central Bank had produced a coin set for a specific family event.
Other annual coins sets produced by the Central Bank have featured Glenveagh National Park, Heywood Garden in Co Laois, Reginald's Tower in Waterford and the Casino at Marino.
Events such as the Special Olympics, the Accession of 10 new Member States to the European Union and the centenary of the birth of Samuel Beckett were also commemorated in coins.