Stamp quartet celebrates Atlantic trail
28 July 2016
The 2,500km route stretches from Malin Head in Donegal to Kinsale in Cork and will now be celebrated by the four stamp set which captures the wild beauty of the Way. The stamps were produced by Red&Grey Design and feature two domestic (72c) and two international (€1.10) stamps, also a First day Cover (FDC) featuring the route of the trail and a beautiful prestige booklet.
The set shows Horse Riding at Grange, Co. Sligo, Fly Fishing at Glenbeg Lough in Co. Cork, cycling on the Aran Islands in Co. Galway and surfing at Inch, Co. Kerry. The stamps are available at main post offices, from the philatelic counters at Dublin’s GPO and online at irishstamps.ie.
In a hi-tech twist each stamp features augmented reality technology and when scanned using a smartphone or tablet with the CEE App installed, allows the user to access additional material on the Wild Atlantic Way.
The Wild Atlantic Way was launched in 2014 and is the world’s longest coastal touring route. The way draws motorists, hikers, cyclists and sightseers to the wealth of rugged beauty along Ireland’s Atlantic coast. The route takes in 200 towns and villages, 9 counties, 6 Gaeltacht areas, 26 islands and 15 iconic must-see landmarks.
An Post has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Wild Atlantic project. In May they were part of a joint effort with Fáilte Ireland to launch the Wild Atlantic Way passport. This provides visitors to the west with a recorded souvenir of their journey along some or all of the 188 Discovery Points along the Way.
The passport contains a section for each of the various zones along the Way and visitors to Discovery Points can call in to the local Post office to have their passport stamped with a unique motif for each one. The Wild Atlantic Way Passport may be purchased (for €10.00) at over 130 selected An Post Offices, along the Wild Atlantic Way route as well as at Dublin’s GPO and St Andrew’s Street Post Offices.
