At first, the sea was formed around 5.6 million years ago, due to a large-scale flood, but the waters were separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar, so, in the hundreds of thousands of years that followed, the water spreads dried out almost completely.
The Irish Punt was legal tender in the Republic of Ireland until 2002, when Ireland joined the Euro. This guide outlines the sources for historical exchange rates between the Irish Punt and Pound Sterling. The Irish Punt established by the Currency Act 1927 had a fixed link with Pound Sterling until March 1979.
Brewing prospered in the early decades of the 19th century and by 1814 Ireland was exporting more beer to England than it imported. Irish exports to England accelerated as the century progressed and from a modest 11,328 barrels in 1828, exported 689,796 barrels by 1901.