‘Double blow’ for Gaeltacht village as bus service axed

A GAELTACHT village which loses its post office on Friday has been dealt another hammer blow.

Bus Éireann confirmed yesterday that from Sunday, it will no longer operate the bus service which linked Ballingeary in west Cork to Macroom.

The once-daily bus service travelled on to Cork city — a leg which will continue to operate.

A company spokesman blamed the decision on “low passenger support”.

Tadhg Ó Duinnín, the chairman of Coiste Forbartha Béal Áthan Ghaorthaidh, the village’s development agency, said the loss of the post office and the axing of the bus service is a double-blow for the rural community.

“The two issues coming together will further erode services to this rural community and isolate what is already a relatively isolated area,” he said.

“This will be a major election issue. We have sent a list of demands to every household in the community so that when general election candidates call to the doors, they will know what is needed.”

The development group launched a campaign before Christmas in a bid to save the post office following the decision by local postmaster Aidan Twomey to retire. The post office has been in his family for generations.

An Post advertised for a contractor to provide a postal agency service because it felt the level of business did not warrant a full post office service. But it received no applications.

Residents met Ministers Pat Carey, Eamon Ryan and Batt O’Keeffe, and received a positive response, and met with An Post officials in Dublin. But Mr Ó Duinín said the company refused to budge and said it appeared to have no interest in the fact that businesses in Ballingeary depend on a full post office service.

However, local shopkeeper Frank Dineen has now agreed to operate a postal agency. It will include a Post Point facility which allows people pay various bills.

Mr Ó Duinnín said: “The local secondary school, Scoil Mhuire, won’t be able to post registered letters anymore.

“Students attending Irish college here in the summer won’t be able to access cash.

“And firms like mail order business Bard na nGleann won’t be able to post their packages.”

E-commerce experts Bard — said a full post office service was vital to it following its launch of a new mail order business, localbooks.ie.

Meanwhile, the axing of the Ballingeary to Macroom bus service emerged yesterday as part of a raft of timetable changes to bus services across west Cork.

www.buseireann.ie