2018-08-10 Fri

The first commemorative postage stamps of Ireland appeared in 1929. The Irish commemorative stamp program, at the time, was very conservative; with there being approximately one commemorative stamp or set of stamps issued each year.

Accordingly, the first commemorative issue of Ireland was a set of three stamps. Issued on 22nd June 1929, the stamps were issued with the purpose to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Catholic Emancipation in Ireland. The common design of these commemorative stamps features a portrait of Daniel O'Connell.

Daniel O'Connell was an Irish political leader, often referred to as the Liberator or Emancipator. He fought for Catholic emancipation, including the right for Catholics to sit in the Westminster Parliament. O'Connell won election to the House of Commons in 1828, but he could not take his seat, as the required Oath of Supremacy was not compatible with Catholicism. With his efforts, the law was passed in 1829 which allowed members of all faiths, other than the Church of Ireland, to be able to sit in parliament.

Due to his valuable contribution to the nation’s polity, he was featured on the first commemorative stamps of Ireland. The set of stamps issued on his honour includes three stamps with the denominations of 2 pinsin, 3 pinsine and 9 opinsine with a portrait of Daniel O'Connell in the centre in a vignette topped with the name of the country in Irish flanked by the years 1829 and 1929. Value of stamp depicted at the bottom is also in Irish.

Image Courtesy: https://colnect.com