Free Ireland Labels Question

Is there a website that tells the history of these Free Ireland Labels?

http://www.ibredguy.co.uk/main.php?g2_itemId=46395

That is very curious, Vayolene.
There exists a cover 14th March 1956 with those labels,
DUN LAOGHAIRE (RATHDOWN) Slogan Postmark. (with opt stamp of 1923 period)
must be philatelic Hi Jinx.

1971 rings true then, so they would be shown in "The Revealer" whole number 118.
I cannot find that issue.

It is an interesting area of Irish collecting and I have several "propaganda items".

Because of the doubtful legality and the semi-secrecy, there is a lot of myth-making around such issues and people involved like to preserve the myth. A lot of stuff I have read down the years is harmless. There is a point where Propaganda, Fun and Commercialism meet. And a point where Propaganda can be "bad taste".

I lived in West Belfast until I was 26 years old and the issues "Support Sinn Féin" and "Ulster Says No" are totally meaningless. Anyone looking for a postally related souvenir from that period is better advised to find a British stamp upside down on an envelope.

There were local posts at Christmas operated by Sinn Féin in Belfast later in the 1970s and into the 1980s. The early posts were simply a matter of collecting and delivering Christmas cards in the city and and initially they had no stamps and markings. Later services had self adhesive propaganda labels. There are "philatelic" unaddressed envelopes available "post marked" with local districts. The addressed genuine versions are much more collectable. THe service was extended to Derry and I managed to get some addressed ones thru a friend.

The main motivator is generally known. He is a known collector of political memorabalia rather than stamps.

Propaganda still exists. Usually it just takes awareness of an upcoming stamp issue, preparation of an envelope or more usually a relevant postcard which undermines or parodies the subject of the stamp. While it is of course illegal to write anything libelous or offensive on a postcard, it is often the case that text is added AFTER the postcard has been delivered.

There is always a line between "funny" and "very bad taste".

Subjects I have in my collection include "Prince Charles Seperation" (thats actually an envelope) "Princess Anns (?) second wedding, (also an envelope)and several Margaret Thatcher stamps on unlikely postcards.

It also helps to have friendly staff in the sorting office.

In August 2021 Heinz-Jürgen Kumpf issued "Sinn Féin Christmas Postal Service in Derry and other Parts of Nortern Ireland 1975/76 - 2018/19".
74 pages, in English, coloured, many illustrations of all(!) issues, covers and cards, a lot of background information, excellent(!): Price: about 25 Euro.
Contact and order from *** Private information removed by Staff. Please do not post your address/email/phone number etc. ***

In late autumn 2021 a second handbook was issued by H.-J. Kumpf. This handbook gives information about propaganda and cinderella issues of Ireland. The "Free Ireland" issues should be included, too, as much as I got information from Mr. Kumpf. Price, contact and order the same as above.

H.-J. Kumpf is member of the AIJP (https://aijp.org) [World Society of philatelic Authors and Journalists]