Pearl Dineen, niece of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, and his great-grand nephew, Hugh O’Flaherty, with Minister Patrick O’Donovan at the unveiling of the stamp commemorating the centenary of the ordination of Monsignor O’Flaherty.

New stamp commemorates Irish priest who saved thousands during World War II

Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty was known as 'The Vatican Pimpernel'

John Donohoe

Published: Wed 22 Oct 2025, 2:10 PM

Last updated: Wed 22 Oct 2025, 2:30 PM

Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, ‘The Vatican Pimpernel’, is to be commemorated on a new national stamp this week, marking the centenary of his 1925 ordination in Rome. The stamp was unveiled at the GPO Museum by Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan.

Born in Cork in 1898, Hugh O’Flaherty grew up in Killarney and studied for a BA in Theology in Rome where he was ordained and assigned to the Vatican Diplomatic Service. He served in Egypt, Haiti, Santo Domingo and Czechoslovakia before returning in 1938 to work in the Holy Office in Rome.

From the late summer of 1943, Monsignor O’Flaherty worked with ‘The Organisation’, a massive partisan network, to save more than 6,000 Allied POWs, anti-Fascists and Jews from Nazi concentration and prisoner-of-war camps.

Initially, many people dismissed accounts of Nazi atrocities as Allied propaganda, but when O’Flaherty saw how Italian Jews were being treated during the second world war, he realised that Europe was witnessing and often participating in a genocide, and that he had to help by keeping war refugees hidden and safe. After the war, O’Flaherty was the only person to visit Gestapo chief Herbert Keppler in prison in Rome, showing his remarkable capacity for compassion.

Unveiling the new stamp, Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, said: “Few figures embody courage and compassion in the face of evil more than Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty. His actions in Rome during the darkest days of the Second World War remind us of the power of conscience and humanity, even when doing what is right comes at great personal risk. This stamp is a fitting tribute to a remarkable Irishman whose legacy continues to inspire decency, courage and hope around the world.”

Monsignor O'Flaherty's nephew and namesake, Judge Hugh O'Flaherty, lived for many years in Dunshaughlin with his late wife, Kay. Gregory Peck played the priest in the 1983 movie, 'The Scarlet and the Black', while he was also the subject of Joseph O'Connor's recent novel, 'The Ghosts of Rome'.

“There is no more fitting a person than Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty to be honoured with a commemorative Irish stamp," Kieran Mulvey, Chairperson of An Post said.

"His bravery, humanity and compassion continue inspire people of all ages, and we are proud to help ensure his powerful legacy endures across Ireland and the world, 100 years after his ordination.”

Minister Patrick O’Donovan with Pearl Dineen, niece of Monsignor O’Flaherty and all the Monsignor’s many great-grand nieces and nephews at the unveiling of the new stamp commemorating the centenary of the ordination of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty at the GPO.

The new stamp by Irish designer Oonagh Young features a drawing of Monsignor O’Flaherty, commissioned when he was in Rome, with a silhouette of birds taking flight representing all those whom he helped to save, and a profound message of peace and freedom. Together with a special First Day Cover envelope, it is it available from Thursday 23rd October at selected post offices and from anpost.com/shop.