Ireland:EUROPA - Ancient Postal Routes

On 16 July 2020, An Post issued two stamps on the theme of "Ancient Postal Routes" as its contribution to European Post Offices (PostEurop) annual pan-European EUROPA philatelic project.

Issue Description
Designed by Red&Grey, the stamps and FDC are based on illustrations by Orlagh Murphy. Taking inspiration from religious art, using a quadriptych (four quadrant layout), the stamps tell the story of the journey of a letter from the letter writer to the receiver during the Middle Ages.

Stamps
The images on the first stamp (N rate) feature both the author of the message and the message being carried overseas by boat.

The images on the second stamp (W rate) feature both the message being carried over land on horseback and the delivery of the message to the recipient.

Sheets
Each sheet with formatted margins contains 9 (3 x 3) stamps (one design).

The Stamp Issue Name appears in the centre of the top margin in English and Gaeilge (Irish) - "EUROPA - Ancient Postal Routes", "EUROPA - Bealaí Poist Ảrsa".

First Day Cover
Inspired by an archival drawing, Orlagh Murphy’s illustration on the FDC depicts a map of the European travel route of Giraldus Cambrensis (c. 1146 – c. 1223). The route shows how he travelled from Dublin to Rome via Paris.

Giraldus Cambrensis was a prolific writer and influential figure in the twelfth century Renaissance, a period of social, political and economic transformation in Europe. He wrote Topographia Hiberniae as an account of the landscape and people of Ireland, c. 1188.

EUROPA Series
Other Issues under the EUROPA theme include:

References & Notes
References

Notes