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NI printer who fought alongside George Washington honoured

Mike McBrideBBC News NI
BBC A display sign featuring John DunlapBBC
An exhibition that went on display at PRONI (Public Record Office of Northern Ireland) in 2023 recognised the role of Ulster-Scots people, like John Dunlap, in the US Declaration of Independence

He left the island of Ireland as a 10-year-old boy to chase the American dream - and ended up playing a pivotal role in world history by printing the first copies of the United States' Declaration of Independence.

John Dunlap, who fought alongside George Washington in the American War of Independence, was honoured on Wednesday with a blue plaque in his native Strabane, County Tyrone, where he was born in 1746.

People gathered outside Gray's Printers to hear how he travelled to Philadelphia in 1757 to work in his uncle William's printing business.

He would go on to print about 200 copies of the founding document of the United States on 4 July 1776.

Shows a blue plaque with the words John Dunlap and four men standing below it
The blue plaque to John Dunlap was unveiled in his native Strabane on Wednesday afternoon

Who was John Dunlap?

The Declaration of Independence formally announced the 13 colonies' separation from Great Britain and helped set the American Revolutionary War in motion.

Commander-in-Chief George Washington ordered that the Declaration be read to his troops on 9 July.

Years earlier, Dunlap had set sail for America to serve an apprenticeship with his uncle, a printer and bookseller.

By 1776, he had already made a name for himself, publishing a popular weekly newspaper.

That year, he secured a contract for printing with the Second Continental Congress and on the 4 July 1776, its president John Hancock, ordered Dunlap to print the newly-agreed Declaration of Independence.

The 200 copies printed by the Tyrone man became known as the Dunlap Broadsides.

A postage stamp was created by the Irish postal service, An Post, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the document in February this year.

An Post A stamp features a portrait of a man wearing a white top tied at the throat and a back coat. The stamp says: Eire W printed by John Dunlap. American Declaration of Independence 250 years. Forógra Saoirse Mheiriceá BliainAn Post
A postage stamp was created by the Irish postal service, An Post, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the document in February earlier this year

Dunlap's broadside copies did not contain the signatures of the 56 men who signed the Declaration on behalf of the 13 colonies.

Instead, they were printed to inform the public about the Declaration and were posted in public places throughout the colonies.

The Belfast News Letter was the first newspaper outside of America to publish the news in August 1776.

At the time, Dunlap's printing house produced about 200 copies. Today, only 26 are known to survive.

A copy of the US Declaration of Independence pictured from a display event in 2023
One of 26 original remaining copies of the US Declaration of Independence went display in Northern Ireland in 2023

The document proclaimed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

It is one of the most famous and frequently-quoted sentences in the English language and has had a profound influence on the history of the United States and democratic movements around the world.

Several signatories to the Declaration, including John Hancock, William Whipple, Robert Treat Paine and Thomas Nelson Jr, are also believed to have links to Northern Ireland.

One of the 26 surviving original copies of the US Declaration of Independence went on display in Belfast in 2023.

Dr William Roulston is wearing a black-rimmed glasses and is wearing a tweed suit. He has a blue shirt and red tie.
Dr William Roulston, from the Ulster Historical Foundation, says Dunlap is very deserving of a blue plaque

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme on Wednesday, Dr William Roulston, research director with the Ulster Historical Foundation, said Dunlap's story was truly incredible.

"His family had been residents of Strabane for quite a few years and he had an uncle, William, who was already living in Pennsylvania. When John was just 10, he was sent out to live with him.

"His uncle ran a printing firm which was initially based in Lancaster before later moving to Philadelphia, the most important city in colonial America.

"When his uncle decided to become an Anglican clergyman, John took over the business."

An old fashioned printing press in Strabane.
Gray's Printing Press was first listed as a printing press in the mid-18th century.

Dr Roulston said Dunlap is not only remembered for printing the famous document.

"He also saw active service in the War of Independence with the the Light Horse of the City of Philadelphia, a cavalry unit, so you could say he contributed to the war in a number of ways.

"Yes, he printed the Declaration of Independence, which is his most enduring legacy, but he was also prepared to take up arms and invest heavily in the war effort with his own money."

Dr Roulston said the story of Dunlap, like that of many other people from the island of Ireland, was testament to the fact that such a small place could have such a significant impact on the world stage.

"I think it is important that John Dunlap is remembered in Strabane as someone whose formative years were shaped by growing up here in Ireland, yet who went on to achieve incredible things on the other side of the Atlantic."

Gordon Lyons is standing in front of large print of the US Declaration Of Independence. He is wearing a navy suit and has two large microphones in front of him.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons was in Strabane on Wednesday as part of the unveiling of the plaque
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