An Post braces for begging letter deluge

POSTMAN Fergal Barry might need a helping hand on his route over the coming weeks.

The 33-year-old will have to shoulder the anticipated deluge of begging letters headed for the home of lottery multi-millionaire Dolores McNamara.

An Post in Limerick is drawing up contingency plans to help Fergal cope with the expected bags of hard luck stories, including a once-a-day van delivery.

Ms McNamara, 45, who was still laying low last night, can collect her huge win from this afternoon at the National Lottery office in Dublin.

An Post predicts the response to the €115 million win will place too much of a burden on Fergal, whose daily round includes St Patrick’s Road, where Ms McNamara lives.

Major lottery winners usually get up to 10,000 letters. But international media coverage of Ms McNamara’s win is expected to generate much more.

Fergal, who lives at Hyde Road, said: “I’d say I will be needing back-up. I don’t mind; it’s great to see a local winner like Mrs McNamara and we always have a bit of a chat when we meet on my round.”

The An Post sorting office in the Dock Road will be monitoring the situation in the coming week when the first of the begging letters is expected to arrive.

A spokesman said: “Fergal is in charge of the daily delivery for the St Patrick’s Road area.

“He would normally deliver about 1,500 letters a day, but if that delivery, as we expect, becomes much greater we may have to lay on a special van delivery once a day to handle Mrs McNamara’s post. This won’t cost her anything as we are obliged to deliver her post.”

A garda spokesman said they have not received any request from the McNamara family for special security.

“If they want to engage private security that is a matter for themselves,” said the spokesman.