Séamas O'Reilly: To anyone who used old Irish coins, the UK's new designs may seem familiar

"Growing up in the north of Ireland, the jackboot of British imperialism had, in one of its harsher crimes, robbed us of coins featuring fish and cows and kept its altogether inferior currency rigidly in place."

The reserve, left, and observe, faces of a one-pound coin displayed by the Royal Mint in London, UK, on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023.

Since the Queen of England’s death nearly two years ago, the UK’s money has retained her image, presumably because the government believed the psychic shock of changing it any sooner would’ve been too much for the country to bear. They might be right. 

It would stretch things to describe my feelings for the British royal family as fond, but even I would find it odd to see someone else staring out at me, after a lifetime spent looking at Elizabeth Windsor any time I had to put cash in my hand.