Music

The Irish postal service, An Post, has just released four new stamps commemorating the singers and musicians Sinéad O’Connor, Shane MacGowan, Christy Dignam and Séamus Begley, all of whom died last year.

Called Iconic Irish Voices, the four-stamp set go on sale from Thursday September 12.

Speaking at a private reception for the artists’ families, David McRedmond, chief executive of An Post said: “It’s still hard to accept that Christy, Séamus, Sinéad and Shane are no longer with us. Each of them shone brightly and bravely throughout their lives, bringing good times, inspiration and joy to millions upon millions of people. They were proud Irish artists whose work explored, often critically, our identity as a people. We are greatly honoured on behalf of the people of Ireland to release these special stamps as symbol of the nation’s respect and pride in their musical genius and their impact on the world.”

Victoria Mary Clarke, wife of Shane MacGowan, said her husband would be proud and delighted to be honoured with a stamp from An Post. “He was a passionate Irish man with a huge love for Ireland and its history and culture ... He saw the Irish postage stamps as symbolic of our freedom from Britain and our status as an independent republic ... his family are all very grateful to An Post for this beautiful gesture.”

The stamps are available from An Post.