BLAST FROM THE PAST

An ATM in Glanmire's Hazelwood Centre, has last month issued an old five pound note as a customer was making a withdrawal.

The customer in question, Gráinne Moir, was shocked to say the least, "I was shocked to say the least", she remarked.

"I almost didn't notice at first, I was getting €40 out, and the fiver was underneath two twenty Euro notes".

Bank of Ireland ATM in full flow

So how did this happen? Why did an ATM at the Glanmire Bank of Ireland branch suddenly dispense some defunct tender?

A spokesperson for Bank of Ireland explained, "whilst it is unusual, it's not unheard of, some of the older ATM models have rogue notes that have slipped between the mechanism. With the ATMs now calibrated for the dimensions of the Euro banknotes, it's no surprise that it has taken such a time for the ghost note to be churned out".

Now, over eighteen and a half years since the Irish pound has been in circulation, what does Gráinne plan to do with her matured money? "Oh I haven't decided yet," she answered.

As for the ATM itself, it has become a bit of a local attraction. The BOI branch has announced record usage of the machine over the last two weeks. One branch cashier commenting, "the queue for the ATM is out the door". Now this is mostly because the ATM is in fact outside, mounted on an exterior wall, however, the queue was certainly going down the street, with customers of all banks, coming to have a go, trying their luck, hoping to catch a glimpse of the past.

Old five pound note