New An Post stamp commemorates bicentenary of ‘best-known building in Ireland’
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New An Post stamp commemorates bicentenary of ‘best-known building in Ireland’

AN POST have released a new stamp commemorating the bicentenary of the ‘best-known building in Ireland’.

This month marks 200 years since the General Post Office (GPO) building in Dublin opened for business.

It took three years to construct and opened its doors on January 6, 1818.

Designed by architect Francis Johnston, the neoclassical-style building was the last of the great Georgian public buildings to be built in Dublin.

The building has played an important role in Irish history, serving as the headquarters for the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising.

A spokesperson for An Post said: “This year sees the bicentenary of the opening of probably the best-known building in Ireland: The General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin’s O’Connell Street.

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“The GPO opened for business on January 6, 1818 when O’Connell Street was then called Sackville Street."

They added: “The building itself is still a focal point in the city where people meet, rallies congregate, speeches are made and marches begin and end.

“It is also and hopefully will always be, a symbol of Irish independence and heroism recognised throughout the country.”

The new stamp features an image of the GPO which was engraved by Robert Havell and Son and published in 1820 by G.H. Jones.

You can by the new stamps and first day covers from An Post by clicking here.