An Post celebrates a century of Irish broadcasting

An Post issued a commemorative national-rate stamp on 15 January marking 100 years of broadcasting in Ireland. The design traces the transformation of broadcasting from radio, once a striking new presence in Irish homes, to the integrated television, digital and online services that now form part of everyday life.

The self-adhesive N-rate stamp was designed by Red&Grey and printed by Royal Joh. Enschedé using lithography. An Post listed a quantity of 74,000, a size of 30 by 51 millimetres, CMYK plus metallic silver, phosphor tagging and sheets of four. The national N denomination pays postage on letters and postcards within Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The issue is relevant to collections of radio, television, communications technology, Irish history and institutional anniversaries. Its technical specification is unusually useful for specialist cataloguing, while the small sheet format and metallic treatment add production interest. The accompanying first-day cover should be treated as a related postal product rather than another issue.