Happy St. Patrick's Day!

According to the U.K.'s Stamp Magazine, the Irish Post Office – AN Post - issued a stamp a few years back picturing St. Patrick in vestments which were invented 500 years after his death!

The publication reports, "The error was immediately picked up on by keen stamp collector Reverend Peter Hanna, from County Cork, who claimed: ‘The stamp that is said to feature St. Patrick is clearly a sham’.

Rev. Hanna points out, "The white bearded cleric wearing the mitre of a bishop and a chasuble could not possibly be an accurate image. We don’t know what St. Patrick wore, but it certainly wasn’t these robes. People abroad who see this stamp think it is an authentic image as it is coming from Ireland – but it is not. The image is created by modern popular culture and is in no way traditional."

What's even more amazing is that the Irish Post Office admitted its mistake by saying, "We are aware that St. Patrick would not have worn clothes like the ones depicted on the stamp. But our aim is to feature an immediately recognizable image of St. Patrick and this is it. This is how the majority of St. Patrick statues look."

AND apparently this isn't the first time they've goofed historically!

To read the entire article, click here.

For more about Irish stamps, click here.