Irishman John Dunlap, Printed the First Declaration of Independence

Irishman John Dunlap (1746-1812), a printer from Strabane in Co. Tyrone, produced the very first copies of America’s Declaration of Independence, earning him an important place in American history.  

On February 26, 2026, A Post, the Irish postal service issued a new stamp commemorating John Dunlap’s contributions to the American Revolution.

Ireland’s Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD said the stamp serves as “a powerful reminder of the deep and enduring ties between Ireland and the United States.

Dunlap emigrated from Strabane to Philadelphia when he was about 10 years old and apprenticed to the printing trade with his uncle, William Dunlap. He later purchased the printing press from his uncle and in 1771 began printing several newspapers, including the Pennsylvania Packet. Later he became the printer for the Continental Congress.

According to the National Park Service, “This broadside of the Declaration of Independence was printed by John Dunlap at the request of the Continental Congress on the evening of July 4, 1776.” Dunlap printed between 100-200 copies of the Declaration from Thomas Jefferson’s original manuscript and circulated it to the 13 colonial assemblies.

“John Dunlap’s print shop was located near the southeast corner of High (Market) Street and Second Street,” writes Emily Sneff at Harvard School of Education,” adding that “Dunlap’s location was strategic: just four blocks from the State House (Independence Hall) and one block from the London Coffee House.”

In 1976, The Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi placed an historical marker near Dunlap’s printing shop, at the corner of Market and South Second streets.

In Northern Ireland, visitors can learn more about John Dunlap at Gray’s Printing Press in Strabane, an historic 18th-century printer’s workshop and former stationer’s shop that operates as a museum. The facility is located at 49 Main Street in Strabane and is operation by the National Trust.

Read more about plans to celebrate America 250 in Ireland in 2026.