Irish Monopoly boards through the years (1922-now)

Let’s take a look at the different Irish Monopoly boards from 1922 to the modern day.

The Irish love to play games, and it’s no secret that Monopoly is as popular here as it is elsewhere.

Yet, you might not realise that it’s possible to visit Ireland in various different ways on the Monopoly Board, with several Irish versions of the game released.

Monopoly in Ireland − are people still playing?

Before looking back at physical versions of the game, it’s worth noting that you can now play Monopoly Live with versions such as Monopoly Big Baller Live in internet casinos.

This shows us that the brand is still hugely successful. This version incorporates a bingo type of gameplay with some elements of the original.

This means that it’s classed as one of the current live dealer casino games, and this versatility in adapting to new markets is one of the points to bear in mind as we look at how it has evolved in the Irish market.

The first Irish Monopoly boards − dating back to 1922

We need to go back to 1922 to find what looks to be the first Irish version of Monopoly ever made.

Printed in Dublin by the Ormond Printing Company, it can be found at the Little Museum of Dublin. Since it was created just after independence, the box is marked as being made in the Irish Free State.

The first mainstream version of Irish Monopoly came in 1972 from Parker Brothers, with the majority of the board’s squares featuring the names of Dublin streets.

The streets begin with Crumlin and Kimmage, with the most expensive properties at Ailesbury Road and Shrewsbury Road.

It’s very similar to the classic version of the game of that time. However, the railroads are replaced by Dublin Airport, Shannon Airport, Heuston Station, and Busáras.

The 2000 board − updated properties

In 2000, an updated Ireland edition of the board game gave over each of the differently-coloured sections to a set of streets of location from different Irish counties.

This meant that the most expensive properties were the Government Building and Dublin Castle from the capital.

The Rock of Cashel in Co. Tipperary and the Aran Islands in Co. Galway are among the other interesting additions to the board.

The most recent versions − the first Irish language version, GPO, and more

2015 brought us the first Irish language version of this classic game. It was published by Glór na nGael, who also produces Scrabble for the Irish market.

This version includes Ard-Oifig an Phoist as the most valuable property on the board. It uses a different colour scheme from the traditional game. Ancient sites, religious sites, and Irish language websites are among the themed zones.

The Monopoly Here & Now All-Ireland Edition then took another different approach, as it’s based on the 22 best Irish counties as voted by members of the public.

The idea by Hasbro was to update the game in each country based on modern opinions, with close to 170,000 Irish players voting and County Roscommon coming out on top.

Extra attention to detail in the production of this version means that the pieces are shaped like local landmarks.

Monopoly continues to be a hugely popular game in Ireland, and versions like those we’ve looked at should see it continue to gain plenty of new fans across Ireland as well as those from other parts of the world who want to play on our streets and in our cities.