Royal Bank of Ireland

Originally formed in 1836, becoming known for its mercantile links. Shaw’s Bank merged with Royal Bank in 1837. In 1923, the Royal Bank of Ireland bought the Irish Free State business of the Belfast Banking Company, which in turn bought the Northern Ireland business of the Royal Bank. One of the three banks that merged in 1966 to form Allied Irish Banks. The banks saw an alliance as the best way to overcome the fragmented nature of the Irish banking industry. Ireland in the mid-1960s was changing fast and the merger strengthened the banks’ position