Postage stamps of Ireland are the postage stamps issued by the postal
authority of the independent Irish
state. Ireland was part of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland when the world''s first
postage stamps were issued in 1840. These stamps, and all subsequent
British issues, were used in Ireland until the new Irish Government
assumed power in 1922. Beginning on 17 February 1922, existing British
stamps were overprinted with Irish text to provide some
definitives until separate Irish issues became available. Following the
overprints, a regular series of definitive stamps was
produced by the
new Department of Posts and Telegraphs, using domestic designs. These
definitives were issued on 6 December 1922; the first was a 2d stamp,
depicting a map of Ireland. Since then new images, and additional
values as needed, have produced a total of nine series of definitives.
These were the major stamp production for everyday use. Commemorative
stamps first appeared in 1929, and these now appear several times a
year, celebrating many aspects of Irish life, such as notable events
and anniversaries, Irish life and culture, and many famous Irish
people. Some definitive and commemorative stamps have been produced in
miniature sheet, booklet and coil configurations in addition to the
common sheet layout.