THE relocation of Skibbereen’s post office has hit something of a speed bump with users complaining about the loss of a post box in the town square.
Customers who were used to walking to the railings surrounding the old red brick building and dropping their mail into the collection box, as they dashed around town during their lunch break, have been left wondering: ‘What now and where?’
The removal of the post boxes, which had been sprayed gold in honour of the town’s Olympic rowers, has them trying to remember where in the town are the other boxes located?
There are now five post boxes in Skibbereen: at Townshend Street, Bridge Street, North Street, and the junction of Baltimore Road, as well as the new post office at Drinagh’s Eurospar.
One woman complained that elderly people, such as her mother, do not drive and getting from the square down to the post office is an inconvenience.
Postmaster, David Jennings admitted that there has been ‘some negative feedback’ since the new post office opened at Market Street on Monday, and that they would be discussing the issue with the Delivery Services Unit (DSU), which is located across the road.
The local area manager at the DSU wasn’t available on Wednesday afternoon before going to press, but the regional manager told The Southern Star said they would issue a response shortly.
A spokesperson for An Post also stated: ‘We work hard to match post boxes to population, usage and routes.’
Skibbereen postmaster, David Jennings, pointed out that not all of the feedback has been negative.
‘There is positive feedback too,’ he said, ‘with people saying it will take time to adjust but they are delighted with the parking.’
Meanwhile, with a potential buyer in the offing, the question on everyone’s lips in Skibbereen is: who will be the new owner of the building?
Rumours are rife as to the identity of the person who has expressed an interest in purchasing the iconic red brick building, while in Bantry the new post office is scheduled to open at the Fast.net Print & Stationery outlet on Monday, May 12th.
In Skibbereen, the post office operated at the same location for over a century before it was vacated last Friday and the staff relocated.
In terms of the physical property, nothing is signed over as yet in Skibbereen.
Land registry records show the building is in the ownership of An Post since September 1996.
Before that, the property was leased from the Urban District Council of Skibbereen, since May 16th 1903, to His Majesty’s Postmaster General, for a period of 250 years.
News that the Skibbereen building, and indeed Bantry’s post office, were to go on the market was first reported in The Southern Star in March 2024.
In October that year, post office buildings in Skibbereen, Bantry and Kinsale, as well as Macroom, were part of a portfolio of 14 post offices that were listed for sale nationwide.
AT the time, Skibbereen Post Office was listed for €270,000; Bantry Post Office for €250,000; Kinsale Post Office for €350,000; and Macroom Post Office for €350,000.
A private developer purchased the Bantry Post Office, which means the post office counter services at the current location will close on Friday 9th May.
The new post office will re-open at 12pm on the following Monday with Toby Campbell, who has been trading in the town for nearly 25 years, serving as the new postmaster, having taken over from Ger Harrington who is retiring.
Toby Campbell, the new postmaster in Bantry.
The new post office, employing all the current staff, will be offering all the same products and services currently available at the William Street premises.
Toby Campbell told The Southern Star: ‘We are very excited about adding the post office to our current stationery retail and wholesale business and believe the two businesses will complement each other.
‘Most importantly,’ he added, ‘the post office will remain in the centre of Bantry, and to celebrate the move, fast.net will be hosting an official opening at 10am, Friday May 16th.’
