This is a list of people on stamps of Ireland, including the years when they appeared on a stamp. Because no Irish stamps were designed prior to 1929, the first Irish stamps issued by the Provisional Government of Ireland were the then-current British definitive postage stamps bearing a portrait of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother ...

that were

overprint An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a Postage stamp, postage or revenue stamp, postal stationery, banknote or Ticket (admission), ticket after it has been Printing, printed. Post offices most often use ...

ed ''Rialtas Sealadaċ na hÉireann 1922'' (translates as 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 Daniel O'Connell (I) ( ga, Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilizat ...

. O'Connell is one of a small number of people shown in two issues, including

Wolfe Tone Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone ( ga, Bhulbh Teón; 20 June 176319 November 1798), was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members in Belfast and Dublin of the United Irishmen, a republican socie ...

and

Arthur Guinness Arthur Guinness ( 172523 January 1803) was an Irish brewer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. The inventor of Guinness beer, he founded the Guinness Brewery at St. James's Gate in 1759. Born in Celbridge, County Kildare around 1725, Guinn ...

. The 2009 Guinness issue included postmarks with his

trade mark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from oth ...

signature, a first in

philately Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is pos ...

. The Department of Posts and Telegraphs and, after 1984,

An Post (; literally 'The Post') is the state-owned provider of postal services in Ireland. An Post provides a "universal postal service" to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union. Services provided include letter post, p ...

, 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 __NOTOC__ Louis le Brocquy ''HRHA'' (; 10 November 1916 – 25 April 2012) was an Irish painter born in Dublin to Albert and Sybil le Brocquy. His work received many accolades in a career that spanned some seventy years of creative practice. ...

(stamp 1977, d. 2012, ''illustrated below''), but this policy has been put aside and there have recently been several issues showing living persons. For the

millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannus, kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...

, 30

millennium stamp A Millennium stamp is a postage stamp issued by a postal administration commemorating a millennium associated with that country's history but several countries issued stamps for the beginning of the 3rd millennium in same cases depicting some of ...

s were issued showing living Irish sportsmen. During the release of the 2022 Irish Oscar Winners stamps, An Post's retain managing director stated that ''The Irish Oscar Winners stamps celebrate the best in the business and serve as a reminder of what we, as Irish people, can achieve.''

1929–1950s

1960s and 1970s

1980s

;1980 ;1981 ;1982 ;1983 ;1984 ;1985 ;1986 ;1987 ;1988 ;1989

1990s

;1990 *

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and ...

;1991 ;1993 *

Edward Bunting Edward Bunting (1773–1843) was an Irish musician and folk music collector. Life Bunting was born in County Armagh, Ireland. At the age of seven he was sent to study music at Drogheda and at eleven he was apprenticed to William Ware, organist ...

;1994 ;1995 ;1996 ;1996 Centenary of Irish Cinema, 4 stamp set featuring 12 Irish actors in 4 Irish films ;1997 75th Anniversary of Irish Free State ;1997 ;1998 ;1999

2000–2004

;2000 ;2001 ;2002 ;2003 ;2004

2005–2010

;2005 ;2006 ;2007 ;2008 ;2009 ;2010

2011–2015

;2011 ;2012 ;2013 ;2014 ;2015

2016–2020

2016
Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with t ...
centenary definitives

;2016 *

St Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron sain ...

Charles Gavan Duffy Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, KCMG, PC (12 April 1816 – 9 February 1903), was an Irish poet and journalist (editor of ''The Nation''), Young Irelander and tenant-rights activist. After emigrating to Australia in 1856 he entered the politics of ...

;2017 ;2018 ;2019 ;2020

2021–25

;2021 ;2022

References and sources

;Notes ;Sources * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:People On Stamps Of Ireland Ireland, List of people on stamps of Stamps Postage stamps of the Republic of Ireland Stamps