The story of Ireland through one hundred postage stamps issued since the creation of the Irish Free State

A stamp is about so much more than postage. It is a little piece of art, history and imagination.

Dr Max Barrett, a judge of the High Court of Ireland and a passionate stamp collector, explores the history of our nation through one hundred carefully chosen stamps. Starting with James Ingram's map of Ireland (1922), which pointedly omitted the northern border, the book moves through the decades with stamps honouring heroes and rebels, cultural icons and Irish institutions, visitors to our shores and milestone events.

This beautifully illustrated collection shows the evolution of Ireland from an inward-looking young state to the vibrant, multicultural nation of today.



The Honourable Mr Justice Max Barrett is a judge of the High Court of Ireland. He holds a degree in law from Trinity College Dublin, a first-class master's in competition law from King's College London, a PhD in law from the University of Salford (having won a full scholarship) and a first-class master's in children's literature from Dublin City University. He also holds a variety of postgraduate diplomas on various aspects of law. He has written and spoken on all manner of law, literature and legal history. When not lawyering or writing, Max is a keen amateur watercolourist.



Introduction 

Map of Ireland 

Catholic Emancipation 

Shannon Hydro-Electric Scheme 

The Royal Dublin Society 

The Gaelic Athletic Association 

St Patrick 

Constitution of Ireland 

Easter Rising 

The Gaelic League 

Davitt and Parnell 

1798 Rebellion 

James Clarence Mangan 

Thomas Moore 

Catholic University of Ireland 

Commodore John Barry

John Redmond 

Arthur Guinness 

Aer Lingus 

New York World's Fair 

William Butler Yeats 

Roger Casement 

Jonathan Swift 

Constance Markievicz 

Evie Hone Window, Eton Chapel 

Kevin Barry 

John Millington Synge 

Virgin and Child (from the Book of Kells) 

Irish Rugby Football Union 

St Oliver Plunkett 

James Larkin 

Irish Broadcasting Service 

Irish Folklore Society 

Visit of Pope John Paul II 

Pádraig Pearse 

George Bernard Shaw 

Seán O'Casey 

Boyle's Air Pump 

The Great Famine 

Grattan's Parliament 

Éamon de Valera 

Dublin and Kingstown Railway 

Irish UN Peacekeeping Force (Congo, 1960) 

Grand Canal (at Robertstown) 

Kerry Cattle 

William T. Cosgrave 

An Garda Síochána 

John Fitzgerald Kennedy 

Ireland's Presidency of the European Communities 

Battle of the Boyne 

The Proclamation of Independence 

The First Dáil

World Cup 1994 

The Rotunda Hospital 

Louie Bennett 

Troops on Parade 

Kate O'Brien 

Lady Mary Heath 

Bram Stoker's Dracula 

Seán Lemass 

Single European Currency 

Oscar Wilde 

Irish Broadcasting (Gay Byrne) 

Brian Boru 

Jack B. Yeats 

Ernest Walton 

The Abbey Theatre 

Shackleton's Third Antarctic Expedition 

James Joyce

Cork 

William Rowan Hamilton 

Red Deer Stags, Killarney National Park 

Irish Stew 

Ronnie Delany 

Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone 

Paul Henry 

Louise Kennedy 

Flann O'Brien 

Father Browne and the Titanic 

Brendan Behan 

Cumann na mBan 

Gallipoli 

Irish Wolfhound 

Ben Bulben 

Thomas Francis Meagher and the Irish Flag 

Francis Ledwidge 

Chester Beatty 

The Garden Bumblebee 

Iris Murdoch 

Phil Lynott 

The Irish Abroad 

U2 

Lady Jane Wilde 

Ireland's Pride Movement 

Katie Taylor 

Kellie Harrington 

Michael Collins 

Mary Robinson 

Sinéad O'Connor 

Contemporary Irish Art 

Traveller History and Culture