History is not just about Events. It is also about how those “events” are seen years after they happened. And while the “events” themselves dont change, the perception changes.

Take the Easter Rising of 1916, one of the key “events” to be commemorated n this Decade of Centenaries. An interesting way to look at the way the Easter Rising was previously “officially” commemorated is to look at the postage stamps issued.

 The 25th Anniversary of the Easter Rising was commemorated in 1941, at the height of the Second World War. Due to wartime restrictions and shortages, it was only possible to issue two temporary stamps with an overprint at April 1941. Later in the year (October) the commemorative stamp was issued. It featured aa armed volunteer, the GPO and the opening words (in Gaelic) of the Proclamation.

 The 50th Anniversary of the Easter Rising was a big event in itself. Many of those who had fought in the Rising were still involved in politics. Eámon de Valera was an t-Uachtarán and Seán Lemass an Taoiseach. The eight stamp set featuring all seven signatories of the Proclamation was ambitious and reflected national pride.

 The 75th Anniversary of the Easter Rising was in 1991. Mary Robinson was an t-Uachtarán and Charles Haughey was Taoiseach. The commemoration at the GPO was muted and this is reflected in the issue of a single stamp, featuring the statue of Cuchullain in GPO and the Proclamation. It was very understated…it was impossible to have a full blown celebration of the Rising while violence which had broken out in the North in 1966 was still going on. Some commentators attribute the outbreak of violence in Belfast 1966 as a loyalist reaction to northern commemorations.

 The 90th Anniversary in 2006 was a simple design merely featuring the General Post Office and the dates 1916-2006. Perhaps with one eye on centenaries a stamp commemorating the 90th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme was issued in June 2006.

In four years stamps will be issued to commemorate the centenaries of the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme. It has been the policy of the Irish Post Office to where appropriate issue stamps jointly with another Post Office. For example, the Battle of Fontenoy was commorated in 1995 by the issue of a joint stamp with Belgium. The San Patricio Batallion was commemorated in 1997 by a joint issue with Mexico and more recently (2010) the Irish contribution to the independendence of Chile was marked by a joint issue with Chile.

Almost certainly the centenary of the Battle of the Somme will be marked by a joint issue….which will of course please Letsgetalongerists and appease Unionists.

The key thing is that the issue of postage stamps for national commemorations has always reflected the official view in the year of issue…….and 2016 will be no different.