Rathgar Post Office closure
The Post Office in Rathgar has closed temporarily with effect from Wednesday 31st May. I have received a report from An Post on this matter, which is included below for your information.
I wish to advise Deputy Gormley that Rathgar Post Office will close temporarily on Wednesday 31st May. The Postmaster advised that he is no longer able to provide a premises in the area from which to operate a Post Office.
Customers in receipt of “book based” payments from the Department of Social and Family Affairs who heretofore collected their payment at Rathgar Post Office are being redirected to the Post Office of their choice in the immediate area. Customers in receipt of payments from the Department of Social and Family Affairs using “swipe cards” and who heretofore collected their payment at Rathgar Post Office are being redirected to Rathmines Post Office for service.
A notice inviting applications from anyone interested in operating a Post Office in Rathgar will be issued tomorrow Tuesday 30th May.
As you may know, Terenure Post Office remains shut because An Post has not yet secured a suitable person to take it on, and I would hope that the same situation will not develop in Rathgar. I will be raising this issue in the Dáil and would welcome any comments or queries you might have.
June 7th, 2006 at 3:17 pm
An Post’s information is misleading. Thie above PO is closed permanently, not temporarily. As I cycled to my active retirement swim in Rathmines this morning I saw clearing out operations going on. I was told by the men working there that there was no way that that PO will re-open. The lease has been sold. Coming back later along the Rathgar road I noticed the place has been boarded up. Notices have been posted up directing customers to Rathmines PO. References to “post-office of their choice” is a nonsense. There is no other choice. I believe a local PO should, and has been the hub of a community. It is a public service and should be run as such, professionally staffed and remunerated, not left to chance that someone in the area will pop up willing to take it on as a sideline and get paid a few buttons, as seems to be the position at present. The service we had from Rathgar was excellent: efficient courteous and friendly. I found it preferable to waiting in long queues in Rathmines. I know pensioners can get their pensions paid into the bank. However, not all have bank a/cs and, even it they have, closing the local PO is another nail in the coffin of human interaction at local level.
June 7th, 2006 at 4:12 pm
Further to my comment earlier on. There is now a sign above the building where the Rathgar PO was: Acquired for new office by the Dublin Letting Company. So it will definitely not be re-opened as a Post Office
June 7th, 2006 at 5:26 pm
Janice, thanks for your comments. You are correct, the post office will not be re-opening in its current location. It remains to be seen how “temporary” the lack of a post office in Rathgar will be, but the experience in Terenure is not encouraging. John will be asking questions in the Dáil about the wider issue of the local Post Office network.