Dublin 6th February, 2017: Ireland’s latest Definitive stamps represent a multi-media marriage of history and craftsmanship with cutting edge design and technology, ready to wing their way across the globe.

Dublin 6th February, 2017: Ireland’s latest Definitive stamps represent a multi-media marriage of history and craftsmanship with cutting edge design and technology, ready to wing their way across the globe.

The series, ‘A History of Ireland in 100 Objects, a selection’, was unveiled today at the National Museum – Archaeology in Dublin’s Kildare Street. The project marks a partnership between The National Museum of Ireland, The Irish Times, The Royal Irish Academy and An Post.

Definite stamps are the ‘everyday’ stamps that remain on sale for a number of years. This, Ireland’s ninth definitive series, is based on Fintan O’Toole’s original book, A History of Ireland in 100 Objects, with each object opening a window into an important moment in Irish history between 5000BC and the early 21st Century.

In an unusual marriage of ancient and modern, each stamp contains a code that may be scanned with the smartphone CEE app, to enter the world of Augmented Reality and 100objects.ie, a website offering a wealth of additional imagery, information, video and educational resources.

The stamps, first day cover envelopes and booklets were designed by leading Dublin-based designers, Zinc Design Consultants.  They are available at all Post Offices and online at irishstamps.ie. 

The first set of new Definitive stamps show objects including a Flint Macehead, Bronze Age Funerary Urns, the Tara Torcs, and the Broighter Boat.  Images of further ‘100 Objects’ tracing Ireland’s history will be issued on stamps over the next five years.

The Flint Macehead was found in the eastern chamber beneath the great passage tomb at Knowth, Co. Meath in the Boyne Valley and is one of the finest works to have survived from Neolithic Europe.

The Bronze Age Funerary Urns (1900-1300 BC) found in Annagh, Co Limerick were made to be buried with the dead.
The Tara Torcs (c.1200 BC), made of long bars of twisted gold, were found close to the Rath of the Synods on the Hill of Tara in Co. Meath.

The beautiful Broighter Boat (c.100 BC) is a miniature rendering in gold of a sailing boat complete with benches and oars that was found at Broighter, Co. Derry, It was part of a gold hoard found on the shores of Lough Foyle, possibly an offering to the sea god Manannán Mac Lir