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Famine stamp finally licks opposition

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

By Ray O’Hanlon

It was a protracted battle, but those who have long fought for a U.S. postage stamp marking the Great Famine in Ireland and the subsequent arrival of huge numbers of Irish in America have reason to celebrate this week.

U.S. Postmaster General William J. Henderson has approved a recommendation of the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee to issue a stamp honoring the contributions of the Irish to America and the struggles of those who fled Famine-stricken Ireland for the New World more than 150 years ago.

The change of heart at the post office came only after top level political intervention. The Echo reported in April that Sen. Edward Kennedy had fired up a bipartisan Senate effort to persuade the Postal Service to issue the commemorative stamp.

Kennedy wrote to the advisory committee’s chairwoman, Dr. Virginia Noelke, urging that the committee reconsider previous decisions not to recommend an Irish stamp.

That effort has now borne fruit. Both Kennedy and Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin announced last week that the committee had recommended the stamp and that Henderson had given it his nod of approval.

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“The luck of the Irish is with us. It’s gratifying that the Postal Service is using this significant anniversary to honor the many contributions that Irish immigrants and their descendants have made over the past century and a half to all aspects of American life,” Kennedy said in a statement.

“A commemorative stamp will go a long way toward honoring the survivors of one of the world’s greatest tragedies and will serve to remind us of the critical contributions Irish Americans have made to our history, said Durbin.

The Senate effort was mirrored in the House of Representatives where the stamp campaign was spearheaded by Rep. Bill Lipinski, an Illinois Democrat. Republicans backing the Famine stamp in Congress include Senators Alfonse D’Amato and Arlen Specter.

It will likely be several months before details of a design and issue date for the Famine stamp are worked out.

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