An Post has issued a stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of the first president of Ireland Douglas Hyde.
The 55 cent stamp of Hyde, a Gaelic scholar, author and preserver of Irish culture, was issued yesterday. Designed by Q Design, it depicts a photographic portrait by Keogh Brothers Limited and is used courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.
Hyde was born to Elizabeth and the Rev Arthur Hyde, a Church of Ireland rector, Castlerea, Co Roscommon in 1860.
He studied law and graduated from Trinity College in 1884, and in 1893 he co-founded the Gaelic League to revive the Irish language and culture. In the same year he married Lucy Kurtz who was of German extraction.
Acknowledging his role in the revival of Irish culture, the Dáil unanimously selected him as the first president of Ireland in 1938. He died in 1949, four years after completing his full term of office.
The stamp can be purchased online at www.irishstamps.ie, from main post offices or from the GPO Philatelic Shop.