This article features the 2007 Irish National Anthem centennial stamp. Stamps are political documents. As such, they often feature nationalistic and patriotic figures and symbols. A common type of musical stamps are those that feature anthems of countries. Richard Scott More, Curator of the British Library’s Philatelic Collection wrote that “National anthems are a popular way for nations to eulogise their history, traditions and struggles musically since the nineteenth century.” Read his further comments about the topics on this blog post. You can read about national anthem stamps from El Salvador, Mexico, Canada, and Liberia, among others on this blog.
In this post I will explore the Irish national anthem, or Amhrán na bhFiann.
The Song
In 1907, the Irish rebel and musician, Peadar Kearney, wrote the poem “A Soldier’s Song.” Evidently, he wrote the poem in a café in Dublin. Its three stanzas and refrain pledge the singer, a soldier, to the defense of Ireland. In 2006, the first draft of the poem sold at auction for 760,000 euros. Kearney’s friend Patrick Heeney was a regular musical collaborator and took the song and set it to music using his free-reed melodeon. However, Heeney did not read or write music. In addition, it was another friend, Seán Rogan, who first wrote the song in musical notation.
The text first appeared in the magazine Irish Freedom in 1912 and afterwards it was sung by the Irish Volunteers. It was only in 1916, though, that the sheet music was published by Whelan and Son. Surprisingly, that same year, the Irishpriest in the United States by the name of Father O’Reilly, was able to get Victor Herbert to write both a piano and orchestral arrangement. The following year, a recording was bmade by George Potter in New York City.
An Irish translation of the song was first published in 1923. It was by Liam Ó Rinn, who also was part of writing the Irish version of the 1922 Constitution. It is thought, however, that the translation may date to as early as 1917. Although the song grew in popularity, especially after Irish independence in 1921, it took until 1926 for its adoption. Though the entire song is popular, only the refrain serves as the official national anthem of Ireland.
The Stamp
Scott Number IE 1746
The centennial of the Irish national anthem was celebrated with the release of a postage stamp on July 17, 2007. The 55 cent stamp depicts a girls choir from Colaiste Iosagain in Stillorgan, Co Dublin. To the right side of the stamp are bands of the green, white, and orange tricolors from the national flag. There is also a treble cleff, key signature, and time signature, suggesting the opening of the song.
Amhrán na bhFiann
Of course, make sure to check out the song. Here is a good version complete with the verses and the refrain:
