The design of this coin is by Michael Guilfoyle.
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This photo was taken in Dublin in April 2008. It shows Michael Guilfoyle on the right. On the left is Minister Noel Ahern T.D. (member of the Irish parliament), and in the middle is John Hurley, Governor of the Central Bank. I recently corresponded with Mr Guilfoyle and asked him about his connection to Ireland. This is what he told me:
"Although my grandparents were Irish, I was born and brought up in South Wales. My association with the Central Bank of Ireland goes back to 2005. The Bank announced a coin design competition in the Irish Times (I think) and called for artists to submit samples of their work, prior to being shortlisted for the competition to design a commemorative coin for William Rowan Hamilton. I was selected for the shortlist of ten artists and attended the designers' briefing at the Central Bank in Dublin. My design was chosen as the winning entry by an independent panel, and this was probably my proudest moment as a coin designer.
Winning a competition is always more rewarding than a direct commission, as my design was judged against against many other quality designs. I have been shortlisted every year since then for the annual Ireland commemorative coin and been fortunate enough to win on three occasions (Hamilton 2005, Skellig 2008 and Gaisce 2010). The GAA coin last year was a direct commission."
Visit this topic to see more designs by Mr Guilfoyle:
http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,4217.0.html
