Ireland stamps year 1971-74 Old Irish Animal Symbols setMNH set
🐺 Overview: Old Irish Animal Symbols / Decimal Definitives (1971–1974)
Between 1971 and 1974, Ireland re-issued its definitive postage stamps to reflect decimal currency (after Decimal Day on 15 Feb 1971). These designs were adaptations of the earlier 1968–69 Old Irish Animal Symbols series — stylized animals drawn from ancient Irish art and myth — and were used across a wide range of denominations.
These are considered definitive (everyday use) stamps rather than commemoratives, and they are cataloged as part of the Irish definitive issues for that era.
🐾 Designs & Imagery
The stamps in this series prominently feature animal symbols, each design drawing on Celtic/early medieval art motifs:
- Dog – inspired by motifs such as those on ancient brooches (e.g., Killamery brooch)
- Stag – from ancient Celtic bowls or metalwork
- Winged Ox – symbolic figure from early Irish manuscript tradition
- Eagle – from ancient manuscript illumination
(Design origins and inspirations are reflective of Celtic artistic tradition; exact motifs vary by denomination.)
These animal symbols were used across several denomination values during 1971–1974.
📅 Issuances by Year (1971–1974)
🗓 1971 (Introduction of Decimal Definitives)
Issued from 15 Feb 1971 with multiple denominations featuring:
- ½p, 1p, 1½p, 2p, 2½p, 3p, 3½p, 4p — Dog
- 5p, 6p, 7½p, 9p — Stag
- 10p, 20p — Winged Ox
- 50p — Eagle
(This broad group first appeared in 1971 with decimal values replacing pre-decimal designs.)
✔ These stamps share the same “Old Irish Animal” design theme but with decimal values and Irish language elements.
🗓 1974 Reissues / Additional Values
In 1974 a few additional values and re-issues were released, such as:
- 5p New Value (with Old Irish animal motif) — sometimes seen as a mini-sheet or specialized print run (collector’s item)
Many of the stamps struck during this period continued using the Gerl-inspired animal designs with decimal denominations.
