Post office in Limerick village closes despite some confusion late on

AN Post is being urged to take immediate steps to identify and reach agreement with a new postmaster in Shanagolden following the closure of the local post office last week.

A campaign to retain the post office in the village was launched earlier this month after the closure was announced and there were hopes that agreement would be reached to keep the premises open.

An Post says Shanagolden post office was owned and operated by a self-employed contractor and that its closure forms part of an agreement that was reached between An Post and the Irish Postmaster Union in 2018.

In Pictures: Protest in Limerick village as closure of local post office is confirmed

There was some confusion ahead of the closure of the post office last Wednesday evening with An Post indicating, at one point during the day, that the now former postmaster had changed his mind and was willing to continue in business.

However, this proved not to be the case and the post office closed as planned with customers being advised to attend the post office in Foynes instead.

Cllr Adam Teskey says the handling of the closure has been appalling and he is calling for action to be taken to ensure the service can be restored in Shanagolden as soon as possible.

“This is a complete let down for the local community and the people who used the post office and the level of local annoyance and anger is very strong,” he told the Limerick Leader.

Cllr Teskey says local people feel aggrieved over the way the closure has been handled – particularly at national government level.

“I would encourage An Post to seek interest from the local community and to re-appoint a local postmaster in the near future – there has to be a U-turn done on this,” he said.