A special stamp in honour of the internationally acclaimed writer Frank O'Connor was yesterday launched in Cork at the school where he first put pen to paper.
The 50 cent stamp was launched at St Patrick's Boys School on Gardiner's Hill to mark the centenary of the writer's birth as Michael O'Donovan at a house in Douglas Street in the city.
Launching the stamp, which bears the portrait of O'Connor in his later years, was his widow, Mrs Harriet O'Donovan Sheehy.
Some of the writer's children and other family members also attended the lunchtime ceremony, along with the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Colm Burke.
A project which commenced over two years ago, the Frank O'Connor stamp has already attracted great interest from literature buffs all over the world. "The artist Ger Garland's design combines many aspects of O'Connor's life including his Cork childhood and his years in the United States," Mr Donal Curtin, CEO of An Post, said.
"We've already seen a huge interest in this commemorative stamp from collectors and literary enthusiasts all around the world," he added.
Available in most post offices around the country, the stamp can also be purchased on the Internet at www.irishstamps.ie.
A special edition first day cover for the stamp, with images of the writer as a young man and the Shandon Bells, was also launched. Yesterday's event also marked the opening of the Frank O'Connor Festival, which runs until Sunday.