An Post’s stamp price hike ‘deplorable’ says Cork elderly advocate

Cork advocate for the elderly, Paddy O’Brien, has said that An Post’s decision to raise the price of a national stamp is “deplorable”, and will have an adverse impact on thousands of vulnerable customers across the city and county.

The national postal service announced the price of a domestic stamp will increase by 20c to €1.85 from February 3, in line with global trends.

According to An Post, the service has experienced 50% decline in letter volumes in the decade since 2016, and by 7% in 2025 alone.

A spokesperson for An Post said the service is predicting a similar rate of decline in 2026, leading to their decision to both increase the cost of a national stamp

The company has also introduced a new European stamp, priced at €3.50, and a new Rest of the World stamp, priced at €3.95. The spokesperson said this is required to stem “significant losses” due to a 38% fall in international letters over the last three years.

Speaking to The Echo, elderly advocate Mr O’Brien said this decision comes at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is impacting senior citizens the most.

“This increase is deplorable."

“There will be hundreds of thousands of people affected by this — people who prefer to communicate the old fashioned way," said Mr O’Brien.

“I know there are increases across everything, but a lot of elderly people I work with don’t have phones and love writing to each other.

“What An Post is doing now is taking that pleasure away from them.

“It’s the ordinary Joe Soap who will suffer because of this — the cost of stamps is far too expensive.

“It’s the people who don’t have a phone and don’t use email who are being penalised,” he added.

“An Post sent out Christmas cards to every household in December, and that was actually a waste of money.

“What it cost them to buy and send those cards, they should have used towards reducing the price of a stamp.

“Elderly people are finding it very difficult to live on their current social welfare payment — with the cost of food, fuel, and energy, and now this — it’s another thing that is going to affect them.”