Rugby stamps

To mark the release of two Irish stamps featuring rugby player Paul O'Connell, the IrishRugby.ie website takes a look at the philatelic history of Irish players and rugby stamps.

According to the site, the first Irish players to appear on postal stamps were Barry McGann, Colin Grimshaw and Donal Canniffe when the Irish Post Office issued a set of two stamps commemorating the Centenary of the IRFU in 1974.

In 2001, South Africa issued a stamp (shown here) honoring Dr. Tom Crean who was a medical hero of the Boer War. Dr. Crean was awarded the Victoria Cross during the Boer War and the DSO during World War 1.

He ALSO won 9 Irish caps (1894 – ’96), was on the Irish second Triple Crown winning teams of 1896 and toured South Africa with the 1896 Lions, playing in all 4 tests.

To read the entire article, click here.

For more about rugby on stamps, click here.