Cork loses 34 post offices in ten years – more than any other county in same time period
CorkmanTwenty-two rural post offices and 12 urban ones have closed down in County Cork since 2015. With a total of 34, Cork has had the largest number of closures in any county during the decade.
The figures were given to Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane during parliamentary questions in the Dáil. Nationally, 257 post offices have closed during the past ten years, 201 of them rural.
Sinn Féin TD for East Cork, Pat Buckley, described the Cork figures as “shocking.” He called for the government to listen to postmasters’ concerns about the current contract terms.
“There is widespread concern that the current contract terms are simply not fit for purpose. They are not attracting new entrants to take over post office services when long-serving postmasters retire,” Deputy Buckley said.
“Without a new approach, as advocated by the Irish Postmasters’ Union, the network will continue to shrink, and more and more communities will lose their post office. That would be a huge blow to social cohesion, particularly in rural areas.”
One of Cork’s most recent closures was in Crosshaven, which lost its sole post office at the end of May. The village 15 km south-east of Cork city has a population of around 3,200. All services there were transferred to Carrigaline Post Office.
“The move was prompted by the resignation of the outgoing Postmaster. An Post advertised the vacant contract and sought expressions of interest from anyone willing to provide post office service to Crosshaven, but to no avail,” said An Post Public Affairs Manager Angus Laverty.
A recent report commissioned by the Irish Postmasters’ Union found that the post office network urgently requires a strategic investment of €15 million per year over five years to secure essential community services.
The report produced by Grant Thornton estimated that the annual social and economic value of the post office network to communities across Ireland is between €344 million and €776 million.