Irish Free State These were of the same design, but the '' inscription was replaced by '' below the harp in the poundage box. Early pre-decimal postal orders of the Republic of Ireland These were of the same design as the Irish Free State ones, but the Irish for 'not negotiable' was changed to ''. From this issue, the Irish for 'Irish postal order' was changed to Ordú Poist Éireannach. Later pre-decimal postal orders of the Republic of Ireland These were of the same design as the early pre-decimal republican ones, but the Irish for 'not negotiable' was changed again to read as ''. Pre-decimal postal orders issued just prior to the decimal change over A batch of 2/6 postal orders was printed in 1965–69 with the old Órdú Puist Éireannach and '' inscriptions, which had ceased to be issued in the early 1950s. These are very sought after by postal order collectors in both Ireland and overseas. These were issued in several post offices in different parts of Ireland. 1st issue of decimal postal orders Because Ireland decimalised the currency from the old currency of £.s.d. to the new currency of £.p. on the same day as in Great Britain (15 February 1971), a new issue of postal orders was necessary. The harp design of the pre-decimal issue was retained, but the values were expressed in £.p. However, when Ireland joined the European Monetary System from 13 March 1979 it was no longer possible to cash Irish postal orders in the United Kingdom and visa-versa as had been the case, because the currencies were no longer at parity and the British post office did not do currency work. 2nd issue of decimal postal orders In 1986–87, an entirely new series of postal orders was issued. These bear Celtic designs, which are derived from designs in the Book of Kells. There was a noticeable white margin adjacent to the counterfoil. The denominations were expressed in IR£. There was a total of eighteen denominations issued in this series, which ranged from 20p up to £50. The poundage started at 30p on the 20p postal order, which resulted in the 20p. postal order being withdrawn from issue within six months of the series being issued. The 20p postal order in this series is also a scarce one. The designs include a building at the bottom. The names of post offices and county