List of people on the postage stamps of Ireland

1929 commemorative set issued for Catholic emancipation centenary showing Daniel O'Connell

This is a list of people on stamps of Ireland, including the years when they appeared on a stamp.

Because no postage stamps had been designed, the first Irish stamps issued were the then-current British definitive postage stamps bearing a portrait of George V that were overprinted Rialtas Sealadaċ na hÉireann 1922 (Provisional Government of Ireland 1922) and issued on 17 February 1922. The overprint was later changed to Saorstát Éireann 1922 (Irish Free State 1922).

The Irish Free State issued the first commemorative stamps depicting a person on 22 June 1929 when Oifig an Phoist, the Irish Post Office, a section of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs, issued a set of three stamps showing Daniel O'Connell. Since 1929 O'Connell is one of a small number of people shown in two issues, including Wolfe Tone and Arthur Guinness. The 2009 Guinness issue included postmarks with his trade mark signature, a first in philately.^[1]

The Department of Posts and Telegraphs and, after 1984, An Post, designed stamps showing statesmen, religious, literary and cultural figures, athletes, etc. Until the mid-1990s it was usual policy not to issue stamps showing living persons, the only exceptions being Douglas Hyde (stamp 1943, d. 1949, illustrated below) and Louis le Brocquy (stamp 1977, still alive in 2007, illustrated below), but this policy has been put aside and there have recently been several issues showing living persons. For the millennium, 30 millennium stamps were issued showing living Irish sportsmen.

1929–1949

1943 stamp Douglas Hyde commemorating the Gaelic League

1929 Daniel O'Connell	1943 Sir William Rowan Hamilton
1937 Saint Patrick	1944 Edmund Ignatius Rice
1939 George Washington	1948 Wolfe Tone
1943 Douglas Hyde	1949 James Clarence Mangan

1950s

Commodore John Barry

1952 Thomas Moore	1957 Admiral William Brown
1953 Robert Emmet	1957 Father Luke Wadding
1954 Cardinal John Henry Newman	1958 Mother Mary Aikenhead
1956 Commodore John Barry	1958 Thomas J. Clarke
1957 John Redmond	1959 Arthur Guinness
1957 Tomás Ó Criomhthain

1960s

1962 John O'Donovan and Eugene O'Curry	1964 Wolfe Tone
1965 William Butler Yeats	1966 Éamonn Ceannt
1966 Thomas Clarke	1966 Joseph Mary Plunkett
1966 Seán Mac Diarmada	1966 Roger Casement
1966 Pádraig Pearse	1967 Jonathan Swift
1966 James Connolly	1968 Countess Markievicz
1966 Thomas MacDonagh	1969 Mahatma Gandhi

1970s

1977 Louis le Brocquy Stamp

1970 Kevin Barry	1976 James Larkin
1970 Terence MacSwiney	1977 Jack Butler Yeats
1970 Tomás Mac Curtain	1977 Johannes Scottus Eriugenus
1971 John Millington Synge	1977 Louis le Brocquy
1974 Edmund Burke	1978 Catherine McAuley
1974 Oliver Goldsmith	1978 William Orpen
1975 Nano Nagle	1979 Patrick Pearse
1976 Alexander Graham Bell	1979 Pope John Paul II
1976 Benjamin Franklin	1979 Rowland Hill

1980s

1989 Margaret Burke Sheridan Birth Anniversary

1980 George Bernard Shaw	1984 St. Brendan
1980 Oscar Wilde	1985 Charles Stanford
1980 Seán O'Casey	1985 Turlough Carolan
1980 Saint Jean Baptiste de la Salle	1985 George Frideric Handel
1981 Charles Parsons	1985 Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti
1981 Harry Ferguson	1985 Johann Sebastian Bach
1981 James Hoban	1985 Thomas Ashe
1981 Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa	1985 George Berkeley
1981 John Holland	1986 Arthur Griffith
1981 Robert Boyle	1986 William Mulready
1982 St. Francis of Assisi	1987 Canon John Hayes
1982 Francis Makemie	1987 Mother Mary Martin
1982 Pádraic Ó Conaire	1987 Cathal Brugha
1982 John Field	1988 Sidney Nolan
1982 James Joyce	1988 Robert O'Hara Burke
1982 Charles Kickham	1988 Barry Fitzgerald
1982 Éamon de Valera	1988 W. T. Cosgrave
1983 Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha	1988 John F. Kennedy
1983 Seán Mac Diarmada	1989 Seán T. O'Kelly
1983 St. Vincent de Paul	1989 Jawaharlal Nehru
1983 Andrew Jackson	1989 Margaret Burke Sheridan
1984 John McCormack

1990s

1990 Michael Collins	1994 William Butler Yeats
1991 General Godart van Ginkel	1995 Guglielmo Marconi
1991 Patrick Sarsfield	1995 Bartholomew Mosse
1991 John A. Costello	1996 Louie Bennett
1991 Charles Stewart Parnell	1996 Lady Augusta Gregory
1993 Edward Bunting	1996 Stanley Woods
1994 Edmund Ignatius Rice	1996 Artie Bell
1994 Edmund Burke	1996 Alec Bennett
1994 Eamonn Andrews	1996 Robert Dunlop & Joey Dunlop
1994 George Bernard Shaw	1996 Michael Davitt
1994 Samuel Beckett	1996 Thomas A. McLaughlin
1994 Seán MacBride

1996 Centenary of Irish Cinema, 4 stamp set featuring 12 Irish actors in 4 Irish films:^[2]

• Brenda Fricker as Mrs Brown in My Left Foot
• Daniel Day-Lewis as Christy Brown in My Left Foot
• Andrew Strong as Declan "Deco" Cuffe in The Commitments^[3]
• Angeline Ball as Imelda Quirke in The Commitments
• Maria Doyle Kennedy as Natalie Murphy in The Commitments
• Bronagh Gallagher as Bernie McGloughlin in The Commitments
• Richard Harris as 'Bull' McCabe in The Field
• Sean Bean as Tadgh McCabe in The Field
• John Hurt as The 'Bird' O'Donnell in The Field
• Colman "Tiger" King as A Man of Aran in Man Of Aran
• Maggie Dirrane as His Wife in Man Of Aran
• Michael Dirrane as Their Son in Man Of Aran

1997 75th Anniversary of Irish Free State Linda Martin Singer

1997 75th Anniversary of Irish Free State Sonia O'Sullivan Athlete

1997 75th Anniversary of Irish Free State Alan Gough Soccer Player

1997 75th Anniversary of Irish Free State Damian Hogan Garda

1997 75th Anniversary of Irish Free State Marie Egan Garda

1997 75th Anniversary of Irish Free State Brendan Walsh Garda

1997 Kate O'Brien	1999 Seán Flanagan Millennium GAA Team
1997 St. Columcille	1999 Sean Murphy Millennium GAA Team
1997 Daniel O'Connell	1999 John Joe O'Reilly Millennium GAA Team
1997 John Wesley	1999 Martin O'Connell Millennium GAA Team
1998 Lady Mary Heath née Sophie Catherine Pierce	1999 Mick O'Connell Millennium GAA Team
1998 Col. James Fitzmaurice	1999 Tommy Murphy Millennium GAA Team
1998 J.P. "Paddy" Saul	1999 Seán O'Neill Millennium GAA Team
1998 Capt. Charles Blair	1999 Seán Purcell Millennium GAA Team
1998 Theobald Wolfe Tone	1999 Pat Spillane Millennium GAA Team
1998 Henry Joy McCracken	1999 Mikey Sheehy Millennium GAA Team
1999 Micheál MacLiammóir	1999 Tom Langan Millennium GAA Team
1999 Siobhán McKenna	1999 Kevin Heffernan Millennium GAA Team
1999 Noel Purcell	1999 Grace Kelly of Monaco
1999 Seán Lemass	1999 Jesse Owens
1999 St. Francis Xavier	1999 John Fitzgerald Kennedy
1999 Dan O'Keeffe Millennium GAA Team	1999 Mother Teresa
1999 Enda Colleran Millennium GAA Team	1999 John McCormack
1999 Joe Keohane Millennium GAA Team	1999 Nelson Mandela

2000–2004

2000 Irish Independence W. T. Cosgrave	2001 Padraic Cummins
2000 Irish Independence Éamon de Valera	2001 Jack O'Shea
2000 Irish Independence John A. Costello	2002 Packie Bonner
2000 Irish Independence Seán Lemass	2002 Roy Keane
2000 Rev Nicholas Callan	2002 Paul McGrath
2000 Thomas Alva Edison	2002 David O'Leary
2000 Albert Einstein	2002 Padre Pio
2000 Marie Curie	2002 Peter McDermott
2000 Galileo Galilei	2002 Jimmy Smyth
2000 Oscar Wilde	2002 Matt Connor
2000 Ludwig van Beethoven	2002 Seánie Duggan
2000 Ninette de Valois	2002 U2: Bono
2000 James Joyce	2002 U2: The Edge
2000 Lady Lavery	2002 U2: Adam Clayton
2000 William Shakespeare	2002 U2: Larry Mullen, Jr.
2000 Lory Meagher	2002 Phil Lynott
2000 Eddie Keher	2002 Van Morrison
2000 Paddy Phelan	2002 Rory Gallagher
2000 Jim Langton	2003 St. Patrick
2000 Christy Ring	2003 Shauna Bradley
2000 Jack Lynch	2003 Michael Breen
2000 Ray Cummins	2003 Ezra Canty
2000 John Doyle	2003 Michael Mullins
2000 Tony Reddin	2003 Robert Emmet
2000 Jimmy Doyle	2003 Thomas Russell
2000 Bobby Rackard	2003 Anne Devlin
2000 Nick O'Donnell	2003 James Barry
2000 Mick Mackey	2003 Frank O'Connor
2000 Brian Whelahan	2003 Ernest Walton
2000 John Keane	2003 Admiral William Brown
2001 Charles Lindbergh	2003 Commodore John Barry
2001 James Cook	2003 Captain Robert Halpin
2001 Robert O'Hara Burke	2003 Captain Richard Roberts
2001 Marco Polo	2003 Pope John Paul II
2001 Ernest Shackleton	2004 St. Patrick
2001 Gay Byrne	2004 Ernest Shackleton
2001 Éamon de Valera	2004 William Butler Yeats
2001 Micheál Ó Hehir	2004 George Bernard Shaw
2001 Peter Lalor	2004 Samuel Beckett
2001 Ned Kelly	2004 Seamus Heaney
2001 Nicky Rackard	2004 Patrick Kavanagh
2001 Frank Cummins	2004 George Fox

2005–2010

2005 William Rowan Hamilton Albert Einstein Erskine H. Childers Pádraig Harrington – Ryder Cup Darren Clarke – Ryder Cup Paul McGinley – Ryder Cup Eamonn Darcy – Ryder Cup Philip Walton – Ryder Cup Christy O'Connor Jnr – Ryder Cup Ronan Rafferty – Ryder Cup Harry Bradshaw – Ryder Cup Christy O'Connor Snr – Ryder Cup Arthur Griffith 2006 Paddy "the Cope" Gallagher Harry Clarke Máirtín Ó Cadhain Johann Caspar Zeuss Ronnie Delany Michael Cusack Michael Davitt Gerhard Markson (principal conductor) & RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra The Chieftains The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem Altan The Dubliners 2007 Luke Wadding Hugh O'Neill Rory O’Donnell Saint Charles of Mount Argus RTÉ Performing Groups RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet RTÉ Concert Orchestra RTÉ Cór na nÓg RTÉ Philharmonic Choir Coláiste Íosagáin Girls Choir Paul O'Connell Irish Rugby Team Fr. Joseph Mullooly James Fintan Lalor Charles Wesley

2008 Liam Whelan Saint Patrick Hugh Lane Lt. Col. Justin McCarthy – Irish UN peacekeeper Comdt. Malachy Higgins – Irish UN peacekeeper Capt. Patrick Lavelle – Irish UN peacekeeper Comdt. Gerald Coghlan – Irish UN peacekeeper Capt. Ruairí Henderson – Irish UN peacekeeper Cillian Murphy Bríd Ní Neachtain Colm Meaney Pat Shortt Padraic Pearse Planxty De Dannan The Bothy Band The Tulla Céilí Band 2009[4] Saint Patrick Charles Darwin Francis Bacon James Larkin Anthony Trollope Augustine Birrell George Frideric Handel Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Frédéric Chopin Joseph Haydn Arthur Guinness Brian Friel Tom Murphy Frank McGuinness 2010[5] Máirtín Ó Direáin Roderic O'Conor Mother Teresa Henry Dunant The Freshmen The Miami Showband The Royal Showband Drifters Showband Shane Barker & Oliver Murphy – (Irish Wheelchair Association)[6] Bernardo O'Higgins[7] John MacKenna[7]

2011–2015

2011^[8]

Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh Stephen O'Reilly & David Joyce – Irish Amateur Boxing Association Suzann Pettersen & Michelle Wie – Solheim Cup Brian O'Nolan Flann O'Brian

Gay Byrne – 50 Years of Irish Broadcasting Emma O'Driscoll – 50 Years of Irish Broadcasting Anne Doyle – 50 Years of Irish Broadcasting Flann O'Brien[9]

2012

Fabulous Beast – Contemporary Arts: Dance[9] Irish Modern Dance Theatre – Contemporary Arts: Dance Dance Theatre of Ireland – Contemporary Arts: Dance CoisCéim – Contemporary Arts: Dance Thomas Andrews – RMS Titanic shipbuilder[10] Edward J. Smith – RMS Titanic captain

Father Francis Browne – Irish photographer on RMS Titanic The unsinkable Molly Brown – RMS Titanic survivor Bram Stoker[10] Robert Boyle[11] Hannah Mahony – Barnardo's[12]

2013^[13]

Lucia Reynolds & Kathy Hardiman – St Patrick's Day parade John F. Kennedy & Mary Anne Ryan (Kennedy's second cousin)[14] John F. Kennedy, Seán Lemass & Cmdt. Pat Daly Jim Larkin, James Connolly, Countess Markiewicz[15]

Garda Dongdong Zheng – Integrated Society issue Sammy Akorede – Integrated Society issue Christian Tshibangu – Integrated Society issue Anna Gąciarz – Integrated Society issue Group of Irish Volunteers from Waterford[16]

2014

Irish Citizen Army[17] Brendan Behan[18][19] John Redmond[20]

Edward Carson[20] Seamus Heaney[21]

Thomas Davis[22] Paris Curtis[22][23]

2015

Seán Lemass[18] Terence O'Neill[18]

William Butler Yeats[24] Padraic Pearse[25]

St Columban[26]

2016–2020

2016 Easter Rising centenary definitives^[27]

Thomas J. Clarke Seán Mac Diarmada Éamonn Ceannt Thomas MacDonagh Padraic Pearse Joseph Plunkett James Connolly

Constable James O’Brien Sean Connolly Lieutenant Michael Malone Sergeant William Malone Kathleen Lynn Elizabeth O’Farrell

Jack Doyle Tom McGrath Seán Foster Louisa Nolan Sir Francis Fletcher-Vane Francis Sheehy-Skeffington Roger Casement

2016

• St Patrick^[27]
• Charles Gavan Duffy

See also

• Irish topics
• Postage stamps of Ireland

References and sources

Notes

1. First day of issue postmarks, 28 August 2009
2. "Ireland 1996: Irish Cinema Centenary". Emerald Isle Gifts, original stamps from An Post. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
3. http://images.delcampe.com/img_large/auction/000/186/714/814_001.jpg?v=1
4. Warren, Brian (Summer 2010). "That Was The Year That Was:2009". The Revealer. Éire Philatelic Association. 60 (259): 10–20. ISSN 0484-6125.
5. The Collector (PDF), 01/10, An Post, 2010, pp. 10, 12, 14, retrieved 2010-07-13
6. The Collector (PDF), 03/10, An Post, 2010, p. 17, retrieved 2010-11-02
7. "Irish Role in Chilean Independence – New Joint Issue". StampNews.com. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
8. Warren, Brian (Spring 2012). "That Was The Year That Was: 2011". The Revealer. Éire Philatelic Association. 61 (266): 6–13. ISSN 0484-6125.
9. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. January 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
10. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. April 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
11. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. July 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
12. Finley, Fergus (12 October 2012). "Barnardos gets its own stamp on 50th anniversary". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
13. Warren, Brian (March 2014). "That Was The Year That Was: 2013". Irish Philately: March 2013 – Supplement. Irish Philatelic Society. 2014 (1, March): 1–9.
14. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. April 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
15. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. July 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
16. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. September 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
17. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. January 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
18. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. January 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
19. Bolger, Dermot (2014-03-03). "Behan was a man with the world at his feet, and there is nothing more dangerous". Evening Herald. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
20. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
21. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. July 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
22. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. September 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
23. Zhuang, Zara (24 November 2014). "Dublin girl (3) one of youngest to appear on Irish stamp". Irish Times. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
24. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
25. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. July 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
26. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. September 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
27. "The Collector" (PDF). Irish Stamps. An Post. January 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.

Sources

• Buchalter, M. Don (1972). Buchalter, M. Don, ed. Hibernian Specialised Catalogue of the Postage Stamps of Ireland 1922–1972. Hibernian Stamp Co Ltd, Dublin, Ireland.
• Feldman, David (1968). Handbook of Irish Philately. Dublin, Ireland: David Feldman Ltd & the Dolman Press Ltd.
• Gibbons, Edward Stanley (2004). Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue Ireland (2nd ed.). London & Ringwood: Stanley Gibbons. pp. 30–31. ISBN 0-85259-583-2.
• Hamilton-Bowen, Roy (2001). Roy Hamilton-Bowen, ed. Hibernian Handbook and Catalogue of the Postage Stamps of Ireland 1922–2001. Rodgau Philatelic Service GmbH, Rodgau, Germany. ISBN 3-9807973-0-9.
• Miller, Liam (1983). Kane, William (ed.), ed. Postage Stamps of Ireland 1922–1982. Dublin, Ireland: Philatelic Section, Department of Posts and Telegraphs. ISBN 0-946521-01-8.