A NEW stamp to commemorate 150 years of The Irish Timeswas launched by Taoiseach Brian Cowen yesterday.
Designed by Richard Chaney, the diamond-shaped stamp, the first of its shape in Ireland, was commissioned by An Post and it features
The Irish Times
clock.
The iconic timepiece dates from the early 1900s and became a part of the Dublin streetscape when it was erected on the old Irish Times building on Westmoreland Street.
The clock followed the newspaper when it moved offices to Tara Street in 2007.
Speaking at the launch of the stamp on the top floor of The Irish Timesbuilding in Tara Street, the Taoiseach said it was an appropriate commemoration of the paper's 150th anniversary.
“I think it encapsulates what most people’s association with the organisation would be. It’s like the Clerys clock, but not quite as romantic as that,” he said.
Prof Iseult McCarthy, chairwoman of the Stamp Design Advisory Committee, said it had considered depicting a print room or a design using an old typeface, but opted for the clock. “To all of us, the clock is The Irish Times,” she said.
Irish Timesmanaging director Maeve Donovan said the refurbishment of the timepiece, in advance of its move to Tara Street, had been a labour of love for restorers Stokes Clocks and Watches in Cork.
The Irish Timeseditor Geraldine Kennedy said it was amazing the clock fitted in so well with what was a modern building. "It is an icon," she added.
An Post chief executive Donal Connell presented framed copies of first day covers of the stamp to Mr Cowen, Ms Kennedy and Ms Donovan. An Post has said it expected a strong demand for the stamp from Irish and international philatelists because of the subject matter and the fact that it was Ireland’s first diamond-shaped stamp.
First edition: your memories and digital archive
Today we publish a copy of the first edition of The Irish Times to mark the 150th anniversary of the newspaper.
The quality of the reproduction of the four pages that comprise that publication is not good because the newspaper pages were shot poorly to microfilm in the past.
There is an interesting aspect to the reproduction of the back page. It is signed at the bottom by the founder of this newspaper, Lawrence Knox.
As part of the celebrations, we would like to hear from you about your relationship with the The Irish Times, whether as a reader, a customer, an employee or in any other capacity.
If you or any of your family have memories you would like to share, please feel free to post them on irishtimes.com at http://www.irishtimes.com/150/my-irish-times/
We hope to publish a selection of your contributions in the newspaper later in the year.
Also the newpaper's digital archive, which contains exact reproductions of all articles published by The Irish Timesfrom 1859 onwards, is available free at irishtimes.com until April 6th.
