The History of Ireland's License Plates 1903 -1986 County Carlow IC.

The History of our Irish License (Number) Plates..

Some of my Plates I have collected over the years...

In the Republic of Ireland (26 Counties), vehicle registration plates (commonly known as "number plates") are the visual indications of motor vehicles registration – officially termed "index marks which it has been mandatory since 1903 to display on most vehicles used on public roads in Republic of Ireland. The registration numbers themselves were issued by the local authority in which a vehicle is first registered.

• A very early Waterford City registered car WI 20 leaving the RIAC premises on Dawson Street for a rally in 1906.
•  WI 1 was issued in January 1904 and that series ended in Waterford City with WI 9999 in January 1966.
•  So in 62 years Waterford City Registered 9999 vehicles..They changed to 1 AWI in January 1966.
•  The final registered vehicle in Waterford City of the old series (1903 - 1986) was WWI 80.
•  The Next sequence would have been the new system yy / cc / nnnn.
• Example 87 W 1 Registered to a blue Toyota Starlet.

                                        PHI 1 Registered in Tipperary South in October 1965.

Note the CD badge meaning it's a diplomatic car.

Still in use for the Philippine embassy in London.

Next is a list of License plates registered in County Carlow (IC) 1903 - 1986

The Icelandic embassy in London owns IC 1 but it was registered in Co Carlow First , As with a lot of our good plates it made it's way onto the UK system.

IC          DEC 1903 - APRIL 1964
AIC          APRIL 1964 - SEP 1965
BIC           SEP 1965 - JUNE 1967
CIC           JUNE 1967 - OCT 1968
DIC             OCT 1968 -NOV 1969
EIC            NOV 1969 - DEC 1970
FIC            DEC 1970 - MAR 1972
GIC            MAR 1972  - FEB 1973
HIC              FEB 1973 - JAN 1974
IIC               JAN 1974 - JAN 1975
JIC                JAN 1975 - JAN 1976
KIC              JAN 1976 - AUG 1976
LIC             AUG 1976- MAY 1977
MIC             MAY 1977 - JAN 1978
NIC             JAN 1978 - JULY 1978

OIC                JULY 1978 FEB 1979

PIC                 JAN 1979 OCT 1979

RIC             OCT 1979 - MAY 1980

SIC              MAY 1980 - FEB 1981

TIC             FEB 1981 - NOV  1981

UIC            NOV 1981 - OCT 1982

VIC              OCT 1982 - SEP 1983

WIC             SEP 1983 - OCT 1984

XIC           OCT 1984 - NOV 1985

YIC           NOV 1985 - DEC 1986 

The final vehicle registered in Co Carlow in the old series was ...(1903 - 1986) 

YIC 994 

Very near the final reg in 1986 ...

SO THAT IS COUNTY CARLOW COVERED UPTO 1986 ...

The first Car Registered in 1987 in Carlow was 87 CW 1 (new format) will cover in a later post.