A Catholic Bishop has contrasted the secular character of An Post’s Christmas stamps with the more religiously inspired stamps of the UK’s Royal Mail.

Writing on social media, Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildare and Leighlin said, “As a stamp collector for years, I’m always intrigued by the design of Christmas stamps around the world, just look at what our neighbours up North and across the Irish Sea will be sending compared to what will be on our envelopes”.

He posted an Irish stamp featuring two people with party hats under a mistletoe with the word “Love”, and also one UK stamp featuring the shepherds in the hills near Bethlehem, and another, of St Joseph leading the pregnant virgin on a donkey.

Out of six designs offered by An Post, only one has a religious theme and it is the one used for international postage. It is also the only one where the word ‘Nollaig’ appears. The rest are all secular in content.

By contrast, the Royal Mail Christmas stamps are all religious.