Irish Examiner view: Delivering a little piece of art every day

An Post celebrates a centenary of art on stamps

Contemporary visual artist Amanda Coogan at the unveiling of new stamps celebrating 100 years of Irish art on stamps. Picture: Maxwells

Within the recent debilitating debate about the centrality of An Post in the life of Irish citizens, it is worth remembering another uplifting service that is delivered regularly into our homes via the Republic’s 900 post offices, most of which are independently operated.

There have been stamps in Ireland since the 1840s as part of the British postal system, but they really came into their own in February 1922 when they were overprinted with Irish text.

A new series of domestic stamps were issued in December of the same year. Since then, richly designed commemorative stamps have included the Easter Rising; Irish statesmen, religious, sports people, and cultural figures.

Now An Post has recognised the significance of this small piece of art regularly dropping through our letterboxes by marking the contribution of talented Irish designers and artists through the past century.

The new collection celebrates the work of Amanda Coogan, Philip Treacy, Paul Henry, Maser, Orla Kiely, Robert Ballagh, and Harry Clarke. It will also feature the artist James Ingram, who designed Ireland’s first postage stamp in 1922.

Performance artist Amanda Coogan, whose work The Fall was first selected as a stamp design in 2013, said: “The postal service’s support for Irish artists and designers in the last 100 years has made art accessible to all, and this series showcases some fantastic images.” This, if anyone needed it, is another good reason to write a letter or send someone a card.