Future of Sunday's Well post office in Cork is now in doubt

The immediate future of Sunday’s Well post office is in doubt, with An Post confirming this week that the postmaster has resigned, and the tender is being advertised.

An Post said the post office will remain open until the end of this week, but it could not say whether service will continue beyond the weekend.

A spokesperson for An Post said it had been informed that the Sunday’s Well postmaster, Finbarr O’Regan, wished to resign his contract.

“Accordingly, An Post has begun the process of seeking a new contractor to provide post office services to the people of the Sunday’s Well area.

“An Post is working hard to maintain the local service and will provide an update to customers in the coming days.”

Mr O’Regan has been postmaster for more than a decade, but the post office, which has been described by locals as the heart of the northside community, has been for several days at the centre of rumours that it will close permanently.

It closed unexpectedly last Friday and Saturday, due to what An Post said had been circumstances beyond its control. It opened as normal on Monday, but a sign displayed on the window stated that An Post was seeking a new retail partner to run the business.

With a deadline of 5pm on Friday June 5, the advertisement said preference would be given to “suitable candidates who are proposing to co-locate the post office with a compatible business in a suitable premises”.

It is understood that An Post has had informal discussions with a number of postmasters in the wider Cork region, with a view to running the Sunday’s Well post office.

Closures in recent years

Sunday’s Well has suffered a series of premises closures in recent years, with a shop, butcher, and two restaurants all closing, and the post office is currently the last operating retail outlet on Sunday’s Well Rd.

The closest post offices to Sunday’s Well are on Blarney St and Shandon St.

Colm Burke, Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central, said he was saddened to hear that Mr O’Regan was retiring.

“Finbarr has provided an excellent service to the local community in Sunday’s Well for many years, and he was greatly appreciated in the area,” he said.

“It’s now vitally important that An Post secures a long-term postmaster who can continue the service that local people need.

“Sunday’s Well has a lot of older residents, and they might not all be in a position to travel to Shandon St or North Main St, or down town to the GPO on Oliver Plunkett St.”