Protesters hit streets in bid to save post office

Pipe bands, representatives of sports clubs, traders, and residents of Blackpool in Cork took to the streets over the weekend in a bid to retain a post office in the village centre.

Blackpool post office is to be relocated to a unit in the local shopping centre on Feb 11. Traders insist the post office brings significant footfall to the village and is a popular meeting place.

Spokesman for Blackpool Traders’ Association Jim O’Brien said workers in the area were keen to protest.

“People in the village who are working asked that we divert [the protest] back to Saturday to allow them an opportunity to protest and they turned up in their force today,” said Mr O’Brien.

On Saturday morning, about 100 people marched to the GPO on Cork’s Oliver Plunkett St to protest at the planned changes.

Bill Dunlea, chairman of the Blackpool community centre, who also runs a cafe in the area, has called on minister of state Kathleen Lynch to intervene.

“I think the key to this is Kathleen Lynch,” said Mr Dunlea. “If Kathleen Lynch came out and said she wants this reversed I could see it happening.”

Cork North Central Sinn Féin TD Jonathan O’Brien said the relocation “will be detrimental to an area that is fighting to encourage more business in to the village”.

An Post management were not at the protest. However, they previously said the aim of the transfer was to improve the post office service.