Iconic ‘Che’ gets stamp treatment

9 October 2017

Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, the quintessential left-wing revolutionary was killed in South America in 1967. An Post has chosen the 50th anniversary of his death to issue the stamp featuring the famous image of ‘Che’ by Dublin artist Jim Fitzpatrick.

The stamp (€1), designed by Red&Grey, is based on Jim Fitzpatrick’s artwork, which appears on t shirts, posters, badges and clothing worldwide and is now rated among the world’s top 10 most iconic images.

Ernesto (Che) Guevara de la Serna was born on June 14, 1928 in Rosario, Argentina. Che’s family were prosperous and had aristocratic roots, but had left-wing sympathies. His father was Ernesto Guevara Lynch, a civil engineer of Irish descent. A quote from Ernesto features on a First Day Cover (FDC) envelope produced to accompany the stamp. Guevara Senior says ‘…..in my son’s veins flowed the blood of Irish rebels.’

The stamp and FDC are available from main post offices, from the stamp counters at Dublin’s GPO or online at irishstamps.ie

Che studied medicine before travelling around South America, observing conditions that spurred his Marxist beliefs.

He assisted Fidel Castro in overturning the Cuban government in the late 1950s, and then held key political offices during Castro’s regime. Engaged in guerrilla action in Bolivia when he was arrested and subsequently executed by the Bolivian army on October 9, 1967. With his death and assisted by the popular Jim Fitzpatrick artwork, Guevara the Marxist revolutionary, went on to become a cultural icon.