Stamps issued by the US and Irish postal services celebrate the centenary of the birth of John McCormack.
The commemorative stamps, in 22 pence and 20 cent denominations, feature portraits of John McCormack. The Irish tenor lived in the USA for some time where he was well known for his concert performances and became an American citizen.
This is the first time An Post and Ireland will offer another country's stamp for sale.
Speaking at the launch of the stamp in Athlone, An Post chairman Feargal Quinn praised the US Postal Service for their cooperation. John Mulligan, of the US Postal Service, says that the post office is entering a period of unchartered waters in terms of electronics and faster ways of communicating. He is eager to share the experiences of the US Postal Service with An Post as they have become a semi-independent agency of the government.
US Charge D'Affairs John Doyle was also at the launch and is confident that there will be more US and Ireland ventures. This comes at a time when US President Ronald Reagan visited Ireland strengthening relations between the US and Ireland. John Doyle talks about the importance of cooperating with Ireland to honour John McCormack.
He's a man who belongs to the two countries and in his day he was the Pavorotti of the times so I suppose in a sense he belongs to the world.
The post office in Athlone was closed to the public while the stamps launch took place leaving members of the public queuing in the rain outside.
John McCormack was born on 14 June 1884 in Athlone. The launch of the commemorative stamp marks the 100th anniversary of his birth and forms part of a number of celebrations taking place to mark the occasion.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 6 June 1984. The reporter is Mary Fanning.
