Cork Postmaster: Chats and laughter galore... but not a sing song, yet!

SINCE Patrick Crowley began running Rylane Post Office in the early 1930s, nobody coming in there has ever given a bar of The Bould Thady Quill, even though the poet and songwriter who wrote the ballad, Johnny Tom Gleeson, was born in Rylane. But you never know!

Two pubs have closed in the village situated roughly between Millstreet and Cork city, north of Macroom in the parish of Aghabullogue.

But the Post Office has remained open through thick and thin, in the safe hands of John Crowley.

“There’s always a lot of chat going on here every day,” says John.

But we’ve yet to have a sing song.

Maybe if there’s a Lotto winner perchance some day?

John laughs.

“That’d be great all together.”

John took over Rylane Post Office from his late father, Patrick, in 1980.

“I got used to working in the post office at a relatively young age, 16,” says John.

We are situated at Rylane Cross in the small village.

“Our two pubs have closed down, but we have the school and the church and a good boxing club.”

A new addition came to Rylane recently.

“Yes, the playground was opened recently which is a great asset to the village for the youngsters.”

Rylane Post Office is a great asset to both young and old. People like using it as it creates social interaction and people can avail of multiple other services in one swoop.

They can also do other business while in town that puts cash into the local economy. It’s a win-win situation.

“Yes, it is,” says John. “We run an independent shop alongside the post office and customers love the fact that there is a one-stop shop to do their posting, their financial business, do their Lotto, and pick up their messages.

“Often, they say, ‘It’s a good day out for us’! They enjoy meeting other people, having the chat, swapping stories of the week and the GAA matches. Of course, the weather is always a topic of conversation.”

What was the post office like when John was 16, learning the trade from his father?

“I helped out a lot behind the counter and I was on the road a lot,” says John.

How come?

“I’d deliver telegrams on my bike,” he explains.

The person of the house usually saw you coming, and they usually expected bad news.

“There were no phones in houses prior to 1973, so the telegram was the next fastest way to relay messages of importance - that’s 50 years ago.”

John loved doing the business in the post office from day one. The postmaster or postmistress often came from a strong family history of dedication to the community of running the local post office through generations of being deeply embedded in the life of the locality. This was true in John’s case.

“We provide core public and commercial services, but beyond that we also deliver a social role that goes far beyond a normal business function. We value our customers and we like looking after them.”

The post office and shop were a novelty to John after school hours.

“I loved stamping letters, there were a lot more letters then. I got to know all the local characters who were a great bunch - there was always a bit of a joke and a laugh to be had,” says John.

Things were different back in the day.

“The phones were manual, and we managed the telephone exchange,” he says.

“There were only three lines in until we expanded. People would ring in and we’d connect them to Coachford, Macroom and Cork. You’d plug in the number into an outgoing line to connect the call. That happened 24 hours a day, seven days a week until we got an automatic system. You’d often be woken up in the middle of the night. People often needed to call out the doctor, farmers often needed to call out vets at all hours. The phone was moved from the post office into the house.”

There were never any crank calls, but there was a curious reply to one telephone call that came in.

“I remember an older man whose people in Galway rang him to convey some news. My dad put the man onto the phone, telling him to talk away himself.

“The man said; ‘I can’t talk to you now; I’m in my old clothes!”

So the Crowleys were often having a laugh?

“We were indeed! It was great entertainment.”

Patrick Crowley had his brother Ger helping out in the Post Office until Ger had a heart attack. “They had two staff and my mother helped out,” says John.

I came home, I was supposed to go to college, but I was happy to help out and I took over in 1980. I was 30.

“It was very busy in those years, paying accounts, the pension on Friday, the Children’s Allowance on the first Tuesday of the month. There was no internet then to shop online, so there was a lot of posting of parcels, especially at Christmas.”

There was no social media either.

“So a lot of news of local interest was discussed and passed along in the post office,” says John.

“It was a great network!”

The post office provides a great social network in the community.

“The same people come in at the same time, especially on Fridays,” says John.

“They catch up with each other and enjoy the bit of banter. There are still the few that pick up their pension instead of getting it direct debit through the bank.

“They enjoy the break-down of notes and seeing the money that they have in their hands. The customers can do their budgeting and saving themselves then, which gives them a great sense of independence.”

John is happy in his role as Postmaster at Rylane Post Office.

“It’s a great job and I love it.”

Next week: Aghada Post Office.