There has been much media attention surrounding the closure of Post Offices in rural Ireland. Small villages are losing their post offices as An Post moves forward with its 5 year plan to ‘curb losses in the network’. The closure of several hundred Post Offices across the country is planned and the inconvenience caused to older people, many of whom rely on their local post office to collect their pension is huge.

It goes further than inconvenience though. The local Post Office is a place where folk meet and have a chat – the social hub of the village. The place where interaction with friends and neighbours is guaranteed. The warm feeling of belonging to a community is so important to our mental health. Loneliness is on the increase and a chance meeting with a neighbour is so important. Nobody wants to admit to being lonely but it is a huge problem in rural areas. It is becoming harder and harder to belong to a community nowadays. Perception being that people want to live in ‘splendid isolation’.

Laragh/Glendalough was one of the post offices which have been deemed as not “economically viable” by An Post and a huge campaign by local people is ongoing to reopen the post office somewhere in the village. Kilmacanogue post office closed unexpectedly on 14th February. An Post said it was due to circumstances beyond their control.

The residents of Larah, Glendalough and Trooperstown must now travel 10k to Rathdrum or Roundwood Post Offices and folk in Kilmacaongue have to go to Bray. Bit by bit services in rural areas are being decimated and with that the already marginalised communities in these areas are being devastated.

What can we do? Use the post office. Ensure that it is a viable business.

The post office is not just somewhere to buy the odd stamp and post a letter. It offers a wide range of products and services. Log on to An Post.ie and see all that they offer to both personal and business customers.

Here are just a few of the essential services your local post office offers