Today is the last day shoppers can use punts and pence for their purchases, as retailers complete the changeover to the euro. Effective from midnight tonight, Irish notes and coins will cease to be legal tender.
Retail banks will still exchange Irish currency for some time to come and the Central Bank will give full value for Irish notes and coins indefinitely.
"Retailers no longer have to accept the currency from midnight Saturday night. On Sunday its euros only," a spokeswoman for the Euro Changeover Board said.
"You should use up your Irish money or else give it to charity but the public needn’t worry, the banks will exchange Irish currency for a time," she added.
The Irish Bankers Federation advise people to lodge or cash written cheques today or else return unused cheques written for payment in punts to the issuing institution to reclaim the stamp duty paid.
They remind customers that cheques written before the 31st December 2001 are valid for six months. "However, in the interests of the smooth completion of the euro changeover for customers and institutions alike, the IBF is advising customers to observe the 9th February as the effective deadline," a spokesperson said.
The Central Bank will exchange the currency for euros indefinitely. But its only outlet is in Dame Street, Dublin, which may not be of much use to people outside the capital. For the record, the Central Bank’s teller service opens Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- To mark the passing of the punt, the Governor of the Central Bank of the Central Bank, Mr Maurice O'Connell, will formally hand over the portrait of Lady Lavery, - painted by her husband, John - to the National Gallery tomorrow afternoon. An impression of the portrait has been featured on Irish banknotes since 1928.