IRISH people have reacted angrily after a number of freshly painted red post boxes popped up in Dublin overnight.
The boxes, which normally sport a vibrant shade of green, were re-painted by Irish postal service An Post on Sunday.
It is part of an Easter Rising history project being run by An Post - but people haven't been pleased with the change.
Members of the public were quick to point out that the stunt is not an appropriate way to commemorate the Irish men and women who fought and died for Ireland's independence.
The post boxes have been taken back in time to how they looked in 1916 when Ireland was under British rule.
Each box has been fitted with a free-text number and code word which when activated by phone will send an interactive video about what was witnessed at that particular post box on Easter week in 1916.
Six boxes have been painted so far at the Royal College of Surgeons, St Stephen’s Green, Grafton Street, Liberty Hall; Dun Laoghaire pier and Mount Street.
Several more to undergo the transformation this weekend at locations including the GPO on O'Connell Street.
Irish Twitter users were not happy with the new colour...
#anpost everyone should go around and paint the post boxes back green
— mia (@Mia_Bieber5) March 21, 2016
This is a little weird. Stephens Green. Have #AnPost reverted to red post boxes? pic.twitter.com/V1yehEn7i1
— Ｐａｔｒｉｃｋ (@Patch99) March 19, 2016
Bizarre...Can think of more apt ways to commemorate #1916 than direct reminder of British establishment rule #AnPost https://t.co/yhX69zP6S0
— Mairéad Healy (@MissyMairead) March 21, 2016
What a terrible thing to do by #AnPost! #Failhttps://t.co/53qGabiF4T
— David Batt (@davidbatt) March 21, 2016
Why is this post box red? #anpost pic.twitter.com/JNuWSIOQ4Z
— Vanessa Greene (@dalekmad) March 20, 2016
Why are they painting Irish post boxes red, it's a horrendous attempt to commemorate the brave men and women who fought for independence.
— Róisín (@roisinramone) March 22, 2016
Many of the postboxes erected under British rule remain in Ireland today but were painted green when the country gained its independence from Britain.
The same is the case in many former British colonies - Hong Kong made the move last October to cover up the British monarch's symbol on its postboxes, 18 years after gaining independence.
