*Fr Michael Casey blesses the new post office in Carrigaholt. Photograph: Tom Micks
CARRIGAHOLT have shown the way for how rural communities can stand up and successfully fight to retain local services.
Having been closed temporarily since January following an alleged robbery, Carrigaholt post office reopened to a warm reception on Monday morning.
Keeping the post office was made possible following a GoFundMe campaign which raised over €61,000 to secure the long-term future of the post office in Carrigaholt and improve security measures.
Co parish priest and vicar forane for Carrigaholt, Cross, Kilkee and Doonbeg, Fr Michael Casey has witnessed the challenges first-hand for rural communities over his two decades in the Loop Head Peninsula.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Fr Casey commended the local people for leading the way to keep vital services. “It is vital that we stand up for services because sometimes it is easy to say we will move services like An Post back into Kilrush or Kilkee but we need these facilities in the rural parts of Ireland and villages like Carrigaholt because it is very well serviced all over the area from Loop Head all the way to Cross into Carrigaholt”.
Ballyea native Michael noted that Carrigaholt keeping services bucks the trend that is far too constant of a centralisation of services from rural Ireland. “I’m here for the last twenty years so I’ve a fair knowledge of the locality and I know the place well, it is great to see so many people interested in the place because it is a time when a lot of people are going towards the bigger cities so it is great to see things happening in the local rural places, it is important to keep these places alive, services like this help to keep a place alive which is important to us”.
On Monday, he blessed the new post office before its opening and admitted it was the first time in his career that he blessed a post office. “I have blessed a lot of different premises but it is the first time I have blessed a post office”.
During his blessing, Fr Casey took a moment to remember Pat Gavin, “his heart was in the place”. Pat served as post master for over fifteen years prior to his retirement in August and sadly died in October.
Post offices remain at the centre of communities, Fr Casey acknowledged. “The post office is always at the centre of the place as was highlighted, it is a hub for the village, it is a focal point, there will always be people wanting to come to the post office for their own business and the business of posting and everything like that and just to meet people, it has been a great focal point over the years. Pat Gavin brought it to fruition many years back, he then had the wisdom to have Maura working with him which is why Maura was able to take over the post office, when you see how many volunteers are willing to help out for it to become a reality that there will be a little hub here, it is good and important”.
