Sinéad O’Connor, Shane MacGowan, Séamus Begley, and Christy Dignam honoured by An Post stamps

The Iconic Irish Voices series features Irish artists who died in 2023 – Sinéad O'Connor, Pogues' frontman Shane MacGown, Aslan's Christy Dignam, and traditional Irish accordion player Séamus Begley.

"They were proud Irish artists whose work explored – often critically – our identity as a people," a statement on their website reads. "They gave us the words and music we lacked to express the emotions we needed to speak aloud. Fame often results in us feeling like we truly know someone in the public eye: their achievements, their way of life, their sorrows and joys, and even their private moments. It can seem as though we are as close to someone famous as if we really did know them, and that – almost magically – they knew us better than we know ourselves."

An Post have unveiled a special collection of stamps commemorating the late Sinéad O'Connor, Shane MacGowan, Séamus Begley, and Christy Dignam. ⁠
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The stamps are entitled 'Iconic Irish Voices', and were created to mark the musicians' passing pic.twitter.com/XeZCnnYZKM

— Lovin Dublin (@LovinDublin) September 11, 2024

The launch event saw family members of the artists – including O'Connor's son Yeshua Bonadio, MacGowan's wife Victoria Mary Clarke, Dignam's daughter Kiera Dignam, and Begley's wife Máire Uí Beaglaoich – celebrate their loved one's legacies.

Clarke, wife of Shane MacGowan, said her husband would be exceptionally proud and delighted to be honoured with a stamp from An Post. “He was a passionate Irish man with a huge love for Ireland and its history and culture ... He saw the Irish postage stamps as symbolic of our freedom from Britain and our status as an independent republic ... his family are all very grateful to An Post for this beautiful gesture.”