FUTURE OF the post office networks in Shannon and Carrigaholt are under threat.
In a fresh crisis for the post office network in Co Clare, resignations of postmasters in Shannon and Carrigaholt have been tendered within the past week.
An Post have confirmed contracts for both Shannon and Carrigaholt’s post offices have gone to tender following the resignation of their postmasters.
A statement from An Post said it now has “two opportunities to partner with An Post in providing post office and financial services to the people of Shannon and Carrigaholt”. The vacancies, it says, “arise out of the resignation of the current Postmasters”, and its hopes to “attract suitable candidates for both contracts”.
Chairperson of the Independent Postmasters Group, Tom O’Callaghan said it is another part of the “crisis” within the post office network. He recently celebrated twenty five years of running a post office in Limerick City but said the setback in Shannon shows that the closure of post offices is not just a problem for rural areas.
He told The Clare Echo, “This should not be happening with a further 600 closures imminent affecting both urban and rural communities”. O’Callaghan has issued a ‘save your community post office’ presentation to all TDs, Senators and over 940 county councillors nationwide. He said, “The key to the sustainability of the Post Office network is for An Post to be the sole provider of the bank accounts required to facilitate the Department of Social Protection strategy to move to e-payments; While also reducing the potential for fraud. The users account would be linked to a Post Office thus maintaining office services in the community and facilitating the customer locally”.
New contracts which came into effect for postmasters from July 2025 are a “ticking time bomb,” the Kildysart native warned. “600 Post Offices will consider closure both urban and rural from April 2025 due to the new contract terms and condition s plus no security of income,” he cautioned. He said a €15m subsidy is required to save the network.
Cllr David Griffin (FF) told The Clare Echo, “I have written to An Post in relation to the news that Shannon Post office has gone to tender following the resignation of the postmaster. We all know the huge value that Post offices add to local communities, and the current Post office in Shannon Town Centre has been a key community service for many, many years.”
“I am calling on An Post to ensure that the Post office at Shannon is retained, and that they commit to a long-term service for the people of Shannon and the surrounding areas. There are significant challenges facing our Post office network, and I want to see a strong package of supports in the upcoming budget that will protect the long-term viability of the Post Office model and will ensure that these key community services are retained into the future”.
