Clodagh Finn: The countess who issued her own coinage to pay her workers

Anne Wandesforde, 18th-century countess and mine-owner, is credited with transforming Castlecomer in Co Kilkenny and doing much to contribute to the lives of the people who lived there

A portrait of Anne Wandesforde hangs in Kilkenny Castle.

What do you do when you have workers to pay and no money? Well, if you have the ingenuity and business savvy of Anne Wandesforde, 18th-century countess and mine-owner, you issue your own currency.

Then, as now, war and political turmoil were playing havoc with inflation. The price of silver was falling and currency was in short supply, yet the miners at Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, had to be paid.