To mark St. Patrick’s Day March 17, “The list” looks at five stamps that honor the contributions of Irish-Americans.
1. Irish Immigration stamp. Issued in 1999, this 33-cent stamp honored the first Irish immigrants to the United States, who arrived in the 17th century.
2. James Hoban stamps. The Irish-American architect who designed the White House — modeled on Leinster House in Dublin — was celebrated on two identical 18-cent and 20-cent stamps in 1981.
3. Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan stamp. In 1980, USPS issued a 15-cent stamp recognizing Sullivan, the visually impaired Irish-American teacher famous for educating Keller, who was blind and deaf.
4. John McCormack stamp. In 1984, USPS issued a 20-cent Performing Arts series stamp to mark the 100th anniversary of the Irish-American tenor’s birth.
5. Eugene O’Neill stamp. The playwright who won the Nobel Prize for Literature and wrote four Pulitzer Prize-winning plays graced a $1 Prominent Americans series stamp in 1967.
The National Postal Museum’s philately site has more information about these stamps and many others. Got ideas for future editions of “The list”? Email them to uspslink@usps.gov.