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AN IRISH WOLFHOUND is set to take centre stage on a new design for Irish passports.
A drawing of the breed will feature prominently in the redesigned document after being chosen as the most popular animal in a public consultation.
The current passport book is ten years old, and the International Civil Aviation Authority recommends documents undergo frequent revamps to include new security features.
The redesign relates to the pages inside the passport book. The burgundy cover with the national harp emblem will remain.
An online survey seeking the public’s feedback on what should feature in the new design opened last summer. Over 15,000 people took part in the consultation worldwide.
Along with the Irish wolfhound, the puffin and the red squirrel was also a popular choice among the respondents, while heather was the most popular plant, with more than half of participants selecting it in their top three.
An initial drawing of the new design was recently presented to the Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin.
The Tánaiste also met Boánn, an Irish wolfhound and ambassador of the breed for the Irish Wolfhound Club, who inspired the initial drawings.
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Artist Denise Nestor drew the initial illustrations, which are early drafts of how the public’s selections will be represented in the next passport.
Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin with Denise Nestor, Wil Byrne and Irish wolfhound Boánn. Department of Foreign Affairs
Department of Foreign Affairs
“It was important to see first-hand how the design team is transforming the public’s input into a coherent passport design,” Martin said.
“The Irish passport is a vital document of the Irish State that provides citizens with visa-free access to 192 countries. This redesign is fundamental to maintaining the integrity and reputation of the Irish passport worldwide.
“We share this island with a rich variety of plant life and a diverse range of animals and I look forward to seeing future design concepts as they progress.”
The redesigned imagery will also be layered with complex security techniques that add to the visual appeal and robust anti-fraud properties of the passport.
Wil Byrne, Secure Document Designer at security design specialist AG2 said that the public’s insights, Ireland’s rich variety of flora and fauna and a range of complex security features are all being incorporated into the new design.
“Our overall shared ambition is to ensure the Irish passport remains a world leader by creating the most secure and visually appealing passport for Irish citizens,” he said.
It’s hoped that the next generation Irish Passport will launch before the end of 2025.
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I was under the impression that it is not being downgraded to a fine. If your over 80mg you still have to go to court and charged criminally. Currently if your under 80mg you walk whereas the new law wont let those bearly under off the hook so likely i.e the fine and penalty points. As far as I am aware the fine only applies to first time offence as well, if your caught over 50 a 2nd time you go to court. So in effect the laws are being made stricter ? Correct me if I have this wrong.
is being over the limit classified as being drunk. or is it only a name or level of intoxication when your driving, being labelled drunk carries a negative aspect to having a social drink. I’m all for reduced alcohol blood limits when it comes to driving. just wondering on the naming terms
The problem with this is of course, that it is impossible to ‘know’ if a person is over the limit. The figure could be a lot more. Very few people are actually aware of the quantity of alcohol that would set them over the legal limit. It is more often less that they expect.
No wonder drink related accidents are so high. If in an accident the driver has zero alcohol only the passenger in the back seat is over the limit that accident is classed as being “drink related” if a pedestrian over limit is tipped by a car through his or her own fault it is drink related.
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