Phasing out of rural communities must be discouraged
Dear Editor,
The recent announcement by An Post that 161 post-offices from around the country are likely to close in the not too distant future, spells the death knell for many isolated rural communities. This is a direct attack on rural Ireland and our countryside. In any rural community the local post-office, shop and pub are an essential part of the local fabric. They are an important focal point and centre’s of social activity in many isolated rural areas particularly along the western and northern-western sea-board. Unfortunately this announcement by An Post comes neat- ly packaged and appears to be stamped, signed, sealed and delivered by the powers that be during the August holiday season.
The phasing out of rural communities must be discouraged at every opportunity by our public representatives in the Council chamber, the Senate and Dáil Eireann in the months and years ahead.
These community hubs must be maintained, supported and provided with improved business models so as to attract the local customers to use these facilities on a far greater scale than heretofore.
It is great news in recent days that the post offices in Cliffoney and Coolaney are being maintained and modernised, and we hope that the services at Gurteen will be saved, and that the problems in Ballinfull will be solved. If rural Ireland is to survive, grow and reach its full potential going forward it needs to fight back and to be more proactive in helping itself.
This can be achieved by working together with the state agencies in trying finding workable solutions to the many problems that exist in the cities, towns and villages across our countryside. If the present policy of continued drip-feed closure of vital services in the rural parts of our country
We consider is allowed to go unchecked and ourselves from unchallenged the youth will conGurteen, we use tinue to leave. Gurteen Post This will have the overall effect Office regularly, of creating a vast wasteland, yet we are not where only the wailing summer included in the cry of the vanishing curlew, the 392 population welcome call of the cuckoo in An Post have spring-time, or the rutting sound come up with. of the wild deer in autumn, the I think you will will break through the deathly agree that when silence. making a very serious decision, such as the one to take the Post Office service from a rural village, more consideration needs to