Ireland 1997 Europa: Tales and Legends, The Children of Lir

Ireland · 1997 · 32p

This stamp, part of the 1997 EUROPA series with the theme 'Tales and Legends', depicts a scene from the Irish legend of the Children of Lir. It illustrates the four children of King Lir who were transformed into swans by their jealous stepmother, doomed to wander for 900 years. The design captures the sorrowful beauty of the myth, showing the swans against a dramatic, stylized background.

Issued to celebrate European cultural unity through shared folklore, this stamp highlights one of Ireland's most famous and poignant mythological stories, a cornerstone of its rich oral and literary tradition.