Mary Robinson, first woman President of Ireland, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Chair of the Elders, Realizing Rights and the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Change, and Susan Denham, High Court judge, member of the Supreme Court and the first woman to hold the position of Chief Justice of Ireland, pictured with Debbie Byrne, MD of An Post Retail, at the GPO for the unveiling of new national postage stamps celebrating Women in Public Life, issued in time for International Women’s Day.

Mayo native among women honoured on new stamps

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AN Post has issued four stamps marking the outstanding contribution of Women in Public Life, just ahead of International Women’s Day next Wednesday.

Mayo's Mary Robinson is among the four women featured on the new national stamps.

The women featured are Mary Robinson - first woman President of Ireland, served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and is chair of the Elders, Realizing Rights and the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Change; Susan Denham - barrister, senior counsel, High Court judge and a member of the Supreme Court who also served as Chief Justice of Ireland from 2011 to 2017 - the first woman to hold the position; Jennie Wyse Power (1858 - 1941) who was a founding member and former president of Cumann na mBan, long serving Senator and activist against gender discrimination; and Thekla Beere (1901-1991), the first woman appointed Secretary of a government department and, in 1970, chaired the Commission on the Status of Women.

The stamps were designed by Dublin-based Oonagh Young of Design HQ and are based on primary source materials, such as newspapers, academic chronicles and posters relating to the women featured.

The national ‘N’ rate stamps issue covers postage on the island of Ireland and are available along with a specially designed First Day Cover from anpost.com/shop and selected post offices.

Debbie Byrne, managing director, An Post Retail, said: “The Women in Public Life stamp series celebrates women who are change makers in their own lifetime. Whether through their service to public life or their determined focus on social justice, the stamps capture the career achievements of these women in living their purpose to improve the lives of others in Ireland and globally.

“With International Women’s Day on March 8, it’s a great time to send a note or letter to a woman who has inspired us or supported us along the way.”

Issuing ahead of International Women’s Day 2023 the stamps promote greater public awareness of the success achieved by these women within their respective fields. This is the latest in a series of stamps by An Post marking women’s contributions to Irish life, including Irish Women in Sport (2022), Jane, Lady Wilde/Speranza (2021) and Pioneering Irish Women (2020).

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