MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Controversial Irish stamp marking 50th anniversary of the death of Che Guevara

The stamp features the iconic image of the Argentine-born revolutionary Ernesto Guevara, by Dublin artist Jim Fitzpatrick.

An Irish stamp marking the 50th anniversary of the death of Che Guevara has aroused the ire of Cuban-Americans. The stamp features the iconic image of the Argentine-born revolutionary by Dublin artist Jim Fitzpatrick.

 Many consider Guevara a mass murderer who should not be honored, US-Cuban journalist Ninoska Perez told RTE. The stamp was approved by the government “as per normal procedures”, said the Irish Department of Communications.

Che Guevara played a key role in the Cuban revolution that overthrew the dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. He was the son of a civil engineer with Irish roots, Ernesto Guevara Lynch.

The stamp's first day cover carries a quote from his father: “In my son's veins flowed the blood of the Irish rebels.”

The sedate world of philately has seen of a surprising number of stamp controversies since Sir Rowland Hill introduced the Penny Black in 1840.