Closure of 34 post offices in Cork over past decade ‘shocking’, says TD

A Cork Sinn Féin TD has described it as “shocking” that 34 post offices have closed in Cork during the last 10 years. Cork East TD Pat Buckley warned that without targeted and strategic investment by the government, our post office network will continue to shrink.

Figures that were received by another Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane, in response to a parliamentary question, showed that Cork had the largest number of post office closures, with 22 in rural areas and 12 in urban areas having closed down in the last decade.

Those 34 closures were significantly higher than the number in the next highest counties, which were 21 in Dublin and Galway.

Reacting to the figures on post office closures in Cork, Mr Buckley said: “It is shocking that 34 post offices in Cork and 257 post offices across the state have closed over the last 10 years.

“The local post office plays a vital role in Irish life, providing financial services, access to the social welfare system, communications infrastructure, and community supports.

“In many areas, they are the only visible expression of the state.

“They foster social inclusion, connection, and participation, especially for older people and those on the margins.

“They are public services, not just private enterprises, and must be supported as such.”

Mr Buckley said action is now required to be taken and that “the government cannot continue to ignore the crisis in our post office network. Without a new approach, as advocated by the Irish Post Office Union, the network will continue to shrink, and more and more communities will lose their post office.

“That would be a huge blow to social cohesion, particularly in rural areas.”