Croom woman retires after 50 years of dedication to her Post
Croom post mistress Ann Cagney looking at a picture of her grandaunt Julia Walsh, who once owned the post office building on High St, Croom, Co Limerick. Picture: Dan Linehan
A woman who is believed to have been one of the youngest postmistresses ever appointed in Ireland is set to retire on Friday after a remarkable half a century of service to her community.
Ann Cagney, who began working with her parents in Croom post office as a teenager in 1971, and who was appointed postmistress at the age of 22, will pull the shutters down for the final time on Friday afternoon to enjoy her retirement with her husband, Martin.
“It’s been part of my life now for 50-odd years. I don’t know where the time has gone,” Ann said.
“I was blessed with good health, I was never sick and always had great energy."
Ann’s parents, Dan and Rita Hogan, sold the family pub, Hogan’s, on Croom’s High St, and took over the running of Croom post office in 1971 from the Ryan sisters, who had run the business in separate premises for decades.
The Hogans moved into a former hardware and drapery shop on High St, a property known locally as The Arcade, which was owned by a recently deceased grandaunt, Julia Walsh, and the ground floor was converted into the post office, which opened on September 1, 1971.
After Ann completed her Inter Cert exams, she started working behind the counter with her parents at the age of 15.
Sadly, Rita died in 1980, and Ann was made postmistress, before tragically, her father, Dan, died the following year.
Ann married Martin Cagney, a psychiatric nurse, in August 1985 — Martin gave up nursing to work in the post office — and the couple has two children, Emma, a pharmacist who works at University Hospital Limerick, and Jennifer, a primary school teacher in Croom. They live just outside Croom.
Ann said computerisation transformed the post office network, vastly reducing paperwork and making balancing the books a little easier.
Ann said she enjoyed meeting the public, helping people fill out forms, and giving advice on social welfare issues when she could.
She said she is looking forward to being able to swim more regularly and travel with Martin if they can get someone to mind their dogs.
The second of five children and the only girl in the family, her older brother, James, and younger brothers, Donal and the twins, Sean and Liam, paid tribute to her.
Sean said she was an incredible support to him and his twin brother who were studying engineering in college in Limerick at the time their parents died.
“We were able to continue through college almost as if nothing had happened. She kept everything going. She was a great supporter of her brothers, always,” he said.
Pat Dunlea, An Post’s business development manager for the region, also paid tribute to her.
"She has been an integral part of the daily life and business of Croom for many years. We wish her well in her well-earned retirement,” he said.
Padraig Broderick, who runs the local Spar nearby, has been awarded the franchise for Croom post office, with the business due to transfer from next Tuesday.
