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Unlike their British counterparts, the Irish number plate system follows different rules and regulations. To make sure your company is compliant, Dash Dynamics offers our guide to the rules and regulations.
Registration Format
The registration format for an Irish number plate includes similar information to that of a British one. A plate includes the year that the vehicle is registered and the county that it is registered in.
The year indicator is placed first. Current number plates utilize a three-digit format where the first two digits indicate the year and the last digit indicates the year half. For example, 131 represents a vehicle registered in the first half of 2013.
Following the year indicator is the county designation. County designations can be either one or two digits long depending on the locale.
| Cork | C |
| Clare | CE |
| Cavan | CN |
| Carlow | CW |
| Dublin | D |
| Donegal | DL |
| Galway | G |
| Kildare | KE |
| Kilkenny | KK |
| Kerry | KY |
| Limerick | L |
| Longford | LD |
| Louth | LH |
| Leitrim | LM |
| Laois | LS |
| Meath | MH |
| Monaghan | MN |
| Mayo | MO |
| Offaly | OY |
| Roscommon | RN |
| Sligo | SO |
| Tipperary | T |
| Waterford | W |
| Westmeath | WH |
| Wexford | WX |
| Wicklow | WW |
These marks are separated by hyphens rather than spaces. At the end of the plate is anywhere between one to six digits which are specific to the vehicle in the order that it was registered in.
Additional Plate Marks
In addition to the registration, each number plate must also include Irish and county marks. The Irish mark, which includes a blue background and stars for the European Union, is found on the left-hand side of the plate. It includes the IRL designation for Ireland.
Across the top of the plate is the county identifier. Ireland has twenty-six county identifiers in total, with each identifier appearing on the number plate in the native Gaelic language.
Not all counties are represented by their own designation as some are shared by a common name. For example, Cork designation Corcaigh is shared by both Cork City and Cork County.
| Corcaigh | Cork City Cork County |
| An Clár | Clare County |
| An Cabhán | Cavan County |
| Ceatharlach | Carlow County |
| Baile Átha Cliath | Dublin City Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Fingal County South Dublin County |
| Dún na nGall | Donegal County |
| Gaillimh | Galway City Galway County |
| Cill Dara | Kildare County |
| Cill Chainnigh | Kilkenny County |
| Ciarraí | Kerry County |
| Luimneach | Limerick City and County |
| An Longfort | Longford County |
| Lú/Lughbhaidh | Louth County |
| Liatroim | Leitrim County |
| Laois | Laois County |
| An Mhí | Meath County |
| Muineachán | Monaghan County |
| Maigh Eo | Mayo County |
| Uíbh Fhailí | Offaly County |
| Ros Comáin | Roscommon County |
| Sligeach | Sligo County |
| Tiobraid Árran | Tipperary County |
| Port Láirge | Waterford City and County |
| An Iarmhí | Westmeath County |
| Loch Garman | Wexford County |
| Cill Mhantáin | Wicklow County |
Additional Requirements
Unlike British number plates, both the front and back of an Irish number plate utilize white reflective backings. There is also no standardized font for the digits, though the most common is known as Irish Metro font.
Dash Dynamics offers this font in both 3D and 4D formats as well as a number plate jig formatted for Irish plates.
