Donard Post Office Action Group hosting closed meeting with local TDs in community hall this evening to discuss fate of post office

By Kim O'Leary

The newly established Donard Post Office Action Group will this evening host a closed meeting in Donard Community Hall in Co Wicklow at 3pm to discuss the fate of Donard Post Office, with local TDs and some Government Ministers expected to attend.

Last Thursday more than 120 concerned west Wicklow residents gathered in Donard Community Hall to fight against the closure of their local post office.

Donard Post Office is one of two in County Wicklow, along with Coolboy Post Office, and one of 159 nationwide, which will close as part of a nationwide scheme by An Post to reduce the number of outlets, and transfer services to neighbouring offices.

Speaking to KildareNow, Sinn Féin's John Brady TD, said that there is unanimous support for fighting to retain the service. Deputy Brady said: "The Donard Post Office Action Group was set up quite recently and it is organising a closed meeting this evening taking place at 3pm in the Community Café within the Community Hall in the centre of the village, with several local TDs including myself expected to attend while Minister Simon and Junior Minister Andrew Doyle have also been invited to attend the meeting this evening."

Other TDs who have been invited to attend the meeting include Fianna Fail TD Stephen Donnelly and Fianna Fail TD Pat Casey.

Speaking ahead of this evening's planned meeting, Deputy John Brady said: "It's a closed meeting with the action group and local TDs. Four TDs are indicated to attend it and the action group hasn't heard anything to suggest otherwise."

"There's very strong arguments in relation to keeping the Donard Post Office open, I think the figures from An Post which states that if there's more than 500 people in a community the post office will be needed, and there's 194 people in Donard so at the moment it is moving ahead with the closure. But the figures have not taken into account the wider community where more than 1,000 people rely on the service with many elderly people relying on Donard Post Office, the social isolation would affect many people. In terms of the financial aspect, the shop and local businesses in the area would rely on the post office and I think there's a compelling argument to keep it open. The post office is the heart of the community and the community is behind saving the post office," explained Deputy Brady.

Mary Brett of O'Keefe's County Store in Donard said that they want to talk to the local TDs to try to save the post office. She said: "We don't want the post office to close, especially for the older generation and that's why we're fighting it."

Meanwhile, according to Deputy Brady, on Friday (14 September) members of the public are invited to attend a meeting outside Donard Post Office at 3 o'clock for a community day organised by the action group to sign a submission which will be submitted on behalf of the community to the Independent Review body established to deal with the planned closure of the 159 post offices across the State.

Deputy Brady said: "We're heading into preparations for the budget next month and it could cost as much as 8 million to save the post offices scheduled to be closed.The pressure is now on the political aspect and the government will decide what will happen to the post office at Donard."