Connolly Post Office Closure a sad day for everyone.
Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey has said today that the closure of Connolly Post Office is a sad day
for Post mistress Pauline Connellan and the local community. Deputy Carey expressed hope that the services would be taken on by another agent, and that the good postal service which the area has enjoyed for generations would be continued. He said also that rural Ireland depended on services such as a local post office and that these were essential if the fabric of community life is to survive. Deputy Carey said: “It’s a sad day for Connolly and for Post mistress Pauline Connellan and her late husband Patsy Connellan. Pauline was first appointed post mistress 37 years ago. This was a very hard decision for Pauline to make. She has provided a top class postal service to the people of Connolly and the surrounding area for decades.
I’m informed that a ‘postal agency’ will be advertised by An Post on the 1st of March for any interested parties. The loss of a service is always difficult but in rural area’s it is felt even harder. Hopefully interest will be shown locally in providing the Postal Agency service. I again want to thank Pauline Connellan and her late husband Patsy for the years of service on what is a difficult day for them and the end of an era.” He added: “There is a point to be made here about what kind of rural Ireland we want to pass on to the next generation. Over the past ten years, we have seen closures of local shops, pubs and many post offices. This is having an effect on community life in these areas. Rural Ireland has a viable future in my opinion. These areas were practising ecoliving and an organic way of life every before the terms were invented. I would hope that with the right supports the ethos of rural life and community living can be protected and maintained and allowed flourish once again.”