Opposition to post office closures grows as appeals lodged

Conradh na Gaeilge considers appealing decisions

Farming and Gaeltacht organisations have joined the chorus of disapproval over the imminent closure of almost 160 post offices, with Irish language body Conradh na Gaeilge saying it is considering appealing some of the closures.

The agreement between An Post and the Irish Postmasters’ Union will see 159 post offices close, with Co Galway hardest hit. Most of the post offices are likely to close before the year-end with the retirement of postmasters and postmistresses.

Some drew attention to the hit taken by Irish-speaking areas, with the closure of post offices at Ballinskelligs and Mastergeehy in Co Kerry meaning the Gaeltacht Uíbh Ráthaigh area will have no post office at all. The nearest post office will be Waterville.

The administrator of Comhchoiste Ghaeltacht Uíbh Ráthaigh, Michelle O’Sullivan, said there was a case to be made for special dispensation for Irish-speaking areas to retain services such as post offices.

“It doesn’t help that Garda stations and the post offices are closing down,” she said.

Ms O’Sullivan said sustaining local services would make sense “bearing in mind they [the Government] have a plan for the language and a lot of money invested in it”.

She said elderly residents would find it more of a challenge when the post offices close down.

“For most people who can get about and have their own transport it is fine but for elderly people it is certainly more difficult,” she said.

“You are talking about pretty remote areas.”

Peadar Mac Fhlannchadha, assistant general secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge, said his organisation shared the concerns of local groups.

He said it was a “vicious circle” when services were removed from more remote areas but also claimed some “vibrant” communities were losing post offices while other Gaeltacht areas outside Kerry were also affected.

He said Conradh was considering appealing some of the closures with An Post.

“We are in the process of examining that at the moment. Some appeals have gone in from local groups.”

The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) also rowed in, claiming “the cost of a few metres of Luas rail would keep a whole rural post office network open”.

ICMSA president Pat McCormack said there was now “a yawning infrastructure gap” between rural and urban areas.

“The Government simply cannot continue to pay ‘lip service’ to rural communities,” he said. “We are losing essential services and the Government is letting it happen and not putting in place viable alternatives.

“For example, in many rural areas and villages, people now have no access to cash facilities, pushing more and more economic activity into large towns and cities.“

"To counteract the closure of post offices in many rural communities, the ICMSA believe that publicly-funded cash points should be installed in these villages to assist the local economic activity.”

An Post CEO David McRedmond, meanwhile, defended the process and said he appreciated that in some cases post offices were “a proxy” for rural Ireland.

But he said An Post had reinvigorated all its services and addressing the issues of post offices meant ensuring they were viable. He said 100 of the 159 proposed closures were in areas where there was no new settlement and added that more Government services should be available at post offices.

Mr McRedmond said there was an independent appeals process, adding it was possible all the issues had not been considered.

But he said if the closures were not planned, the network could die.

Fianna Fail’s communications spokesperson Timmy Dooley, on RTÉs Morning Ireland yesterday, called on the government to intervene to prevent some of the closures.

.@TodaySOR Min Naughton wants to improve Post Office services for some at the expense of others!

— Timmy Dooley (@timmydooley) August 29, 2018

Later, he tweeted with regard to Communications Minister Denis Naughten: “Min Naughton (sic) wants to improve Post Office services for some at the expense of others!”

A spokesperson for An Post confirmed that four appeals against post office closures are already being considered and another four have also been lodged.