Kilkenny number plate used by Russian oligarch and the Pope

What do the Pope and a billionaire Russian oligarch have in common? Both have used vehicles with a Kilkenny number plate!

Back in the early 70s, under the old car registration system, Kilkenny's county code was 'IP' instead of the 'KK' we use today.

The number plate 'VIP 1', a fully legal registration, was gifted to Kilkenny Beer Festival founder Bill Finnegan in the early 70s in recognition of the work he did for the city.

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Finnegan then moved to London in the mid-seventies with 'VIP 1' adorning his Jaguar XJ6.

Unfortunately, when he wanted to change his car, he ran into problems trying to transfer the number plate to a new vehicle.

He was not in a position to pay the costly fees required to legally change over the number plate so he sold the car and the plate for less than £6,000 only to later witness it fetch £92,000 at auction in 1989.

In 2006, Russian billionaire and former owner of Chelsea Football Club Roman Abramovich purchased the official licensed Kilkenny number plate that was once owned by Bill Finnegan for £285,000 (€410,000).

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He placed it on his open top 1993 Rolls Royce Corniche IV Convertible.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, a ceremonial 'VIP 1' number plate (unlicensed) was used by Pope John Paul II on his 'Popemobile' when he visited Ireland in 1979. 

The officially licensed 'VIP' 1 remains the most expensive Irish number plate sold to date.