An Post 'confirms plan to transfer Kinnitty post office services to Birr'

Independent Offaly TD Carol Nolan said today (Tuesday) that An Post confirmed to her that it plans to proceed with the closure of Kinnitty post office at a date in or around mid-October, which would result in the the transfer of its services to Birr Post Office.

Deputy Nolan is engaging with An Post to try to secure the retention of the Kinnitty service which has been offered for the last number of decades by post mistress Breda Byrne.

"Breda has offered staunch service to Kinnitty, and has truly earned her retirement, but we do need the service to continue and that is why I remain determined to constructively engage with An Post to try and achieve a positive outcome," said Deputy Nolan.

"An Post's position is that it has been working to avoid the closure for some time, and has advertised the vacant contract, canvassed the area and likely applicants, but to no avail.

"This means that existing customers, and in particular Department of Social Protection customers, will transfer to Birr.

"An Post also notes in its reply to me that, in recent years, the Government has supported Postmasters by way of subvention and that the Irish Postmasters Union are currently pushing for the continuation of that subvention which is due to run out next year.

"I have previously highlighted the concerns that Postmasters have with the subvention," she continued.

"Indeed, when it was announced in 2022 as a 'targeted and time-bound proposal' of between €10,000 and €12,000 per year, I made the point that the first reaction of a lot of people I had talked to on the matter was that it just did not stack up as a sincere effort by Government to provide permanent guarantees around the future of the Post Office network.

"Their fear was that the subvention was a ruse to see Government through up until the next election after which the 'evidence' to withdraw the subvention would suddenly materialise and we would be back to square one.

"I have presented An Post with a possible option for a premises in Kinnitty as a location for a new Post Office and I am awaiting a reply on that matter," concluded Deputy Nolan in her statement at lunchtime today.