American Declaration of Independence - International Stamp

American Declaration of Independence 250 Years - The Irish Connection

On July 4, 2026, the United States of America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The America 250 initiative, aiming to be the most inclusive in US history, reflects on America’s past and looks towards the future. The history of modern Ireland is inextricably linked with that of the US. While many Irish people immigrated to the US before, numbers soared during the nineteenth century, especially during the Great Famine, when about a million fled to America in search of a better life. Since 1820, more than six million Irish people have immigrated to the US.

It is fitting, then, that the first Declaration of Independence was printed by John Dunlap, an Irish immigrant from Ulster. And almost a century later, the powerful assertion of the rights and liberties embodied by the American Declaration was clearly echoed in the 1916 Proclamation of Irish Independence, in what was a significant move towards Irish nationhood.

Today, as before, government relations between the United States and Ireland are based on shared ancestral ties and values in politics and economics; in medical research and education; and in extensive cooperation in culture and the arts.

To commemorate this significant milestone, An Post has created a stamp with the likeness of John Dunlap, the Irishman who printed the document that would change not just the United States of America, but the world.

Product code 2604W