An Post has released four literary-themed stamps celebrating modern Irish fiction, featuring award-winning works by Colm Tóibín, Emma Donoghue, Claire Keegan, and John McGahern. Unveiled at Dublin’s GPO Museum and detailed in Live95 news coverage, the collection highlights books published over the last 25 years that have achieved both domestic acclaim and global readerships through screen adaptations.
Jack Smyth Brings Modern Classics to Miniature Canvas
The newly issued collection comprises four distinct stamps designed by book jacket illustrator Jack Smyth in his first commission for An Post.
Each stamp incorporates a specific visual detail central to its respective novel’s narrative. For example, the stamp dedicated to Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These features a small lump of coal. The book titles and author names are rendered in a bold typographic style across all four designs.
Emma Donoghue and An Post Reflect on Cultural Impact
Speaking from her home in Canada, author Emma Donoghue shared her emotional reaction to the release with Live95, admitting she shed a tear upon learning her novel Room would be featured.
Stamps Set to Travel Internationally as Cultural Ambassadors
Aileen Mooney, Irish Stamps Manager for An Post, emphasized the cultural significance of the release. "These four beautifully crafted stamps celebrate the best of modern Irish culture through Ireland’s rich tradition of literary fiction," Mooney said, noting that the stamps will travel internationally as ambassadors for Irish identity.
Postage Rates and Acquisition Options for Collectors
An Post anticipates strong demand for the collection among book collectors, literature fans, and design enthusiasts. The stamps are available individually, in sheets of four, or as part of a collectible set featuring a specially designed first-day cover envelope with a date cancel.
Postage rates vary by design within the collection:
- Worldwide (‘W’ Rate): Brooklyn and Room
- Island of Ireland (‘N’ Rate): That They May Face the Rising Sun and Small Things Like These
The items can be purchased online through the An Post shop and at selected post offices nationwide.