Sadness in Coolgreany as closure of post office is confirmed
The community of Coolgreany have expressed their disappointment at the decision of An Post to confirm the closure of Coolgreany Post Office on January 31.
The decision to close the Post Office was appealed by hundreds in September following the news that Coolgreany, and Camolin, would no longer have a post office as part of a reorganisation plan involving the closure of 159 village postal services around the country. The offices are set to close under the terms of a voluntary redundancy package offered by An Post to postmasters and postmistresses.
Following an assessment by An Post’s reviewer, the decision to close was upheld and all social welfare payments will be transferred to Ballyfad Post Office from February 1, 2019.
Norah Finn, postmistress of Coolgreany Post Office, spoke of her devastation and upset at having to close the doors after 13 years of service.
‘I am just so sorry that it is still going ahead after all we tried to do,’ said Norah. ‘Before we close, I will be available to everyone to help them get sorted to wherever they would like to go, it doesn’t have to be Ballyfad Post Office. I will do as much as I can.’
Cllr Malcolm Byrne, who helped organise a public meeting in the village on the issue in September and draft the appeal to An Post, said this is a big blow to the Coolgreany area.
‘We fought hard to keep the post office as it is an integral part of the community life in the north Wexford village,’ said Cllr Byrne. ‘I still believe that An Post got their figures wrong. We are now really battling to ensure the sustainability of rural Ireland.’
In the appeal, the Coolgreany community pointed out that a Post Office has been in existence in the village since at least 1847 and possibly before that as Coolgreany was a coach stop on the road to Dublin; over 300 social welfare payments are made weekly at the office; and the post office serves a community of up to 4,000 people on the Wexford/Wicklow border.
Cllr Byrne added that a petition with hundreds of signatures accompanied the appeal.