Ireland honors St. Patrick with four stamps

By Linn’s Staff

Ireland’s postal service, An Post, honors St. Patrick with a set of four stamps issued Feb. 20, ahead of the March 17 St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

The nondenominated (€2.20) stamps cover the rate for standard letters sent internationally. Each of the four stamps shows a depiction of a snake against a background in either yellow, blue, orange or pink. According to legend, St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland.

St. Patrick has been Ireland’s patron saint since the seventh century and is best known for bringing Christianity to the Irish people in the fifth century.

Born in Britain, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish raiders and enslaved in Ireland at the age of 16. Though he escaped home to Britain after years of captivity, Patrick felt called to return to Ireland as a missionary.

Back in Ireland, Patrick played a crucial role in converting the Irish people to Christianity by explaining the religion using familiar symbols such as the three leaves of the shamrock to describe the Holy Trinity.

Today there are many stories about St. Patrick that blend history and myth. The story of him driving the snakes out of Ireland, for example, likely describes his efforts to eliminate pagan practices. Nevertheless, his legacy remains deeply ingrained in Irish identity and Christian tradition.

Several sites in Ireland bear reverence to St. Patrick, including Catholic and Protestant cathedrals in Armagh and Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Images of St. Patrick have also been used to represent Irish independence and courage, according to An Post.

Patrick’s influence helped shape Irish culture, and his death on March 17th has been celebrated as a feast day since 1631. Today the holiday is recognized worldwide, honoring not only the saint himself, but also Irish heritage and culture. Celebrations frequently include parades, feasting, and the wearing of green.

The self-adhesive St. Patrick’s Festival stamps measure 30 millimeters by 40.5mm. Royal Joh. Enschede printed the stamps by lithography in sheets of four.

A first-day cover franked with all four stamps is included with the issue. The pictorial postmark from Dublin shows a stylized snake made to look like a Celtic harp. The cachet on the FDC features a similar snake design as that found on the stamps.

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