Tag Archives: Tom O’Callaghan

TOM O’Callaghan, set to become the county’s newest Fianna Fáil councillor, has vowed to do what he can to help the Clare community, recalling the support his own family received when struck by tragedy. The postmaster was chosen by Fianna Fáil party members at a selection convention in Hotel Woodstock on Sunday evening. He will fill the role on the Ennis Municipal District vacant after former councillor Mark Nestor left to join the priesthood. Mr O’Callaghan, who is from Kildysart but is based in Clarecastle, secured 48 votes at the convention and was declared victorious on the first count. He will be formally ratified as a member of the local authority at the December meeting of Clare County Council. He told The Clare Champion that on the night of the election, thoughts turned to his sister Yvonne who sadly lost her life 20 years ago in a horse-riding accident. “It was very devastating, a very tough time for my family. …

THERE has been a mixed reaction in Clare to a government pledge of €10 million annually over three years to support the post office network. Tom O’Callaghan from the Independent Postmasters’ Group said “one battle has been won but not the war”, to provide a long-term sustainable future for post offices. Mr O’Callaghan stressed there must be a focus on new products, capital investment and government services for the network. “It is crucial that there is an immediate five-year holding plan to ensure there will be no downward revisions of post office incomes,” said Mr O’Callaghan, “otherwise there will be no network to salvage. “Community Banking must be reinvestigated and developed as a survival option in light of the global economic depression. New Zealand and Germany community banking models should be considered. “The community and social value of the network, so visibly present during the pandemic, must be recognised as a separate asset to the state, must be protected by …

CONCERN has been expressed about the lack of information being provided to Clare postmasters about the exact amount they will be paid, if a new alliance with Bank of Ireland is agreed and implemented. Kildysart native, Tom O’Callaghan of Independent Postmasters’ Group said it looked as if postmasters are being offered a relatively small payment to complete all Bank Of Ireland branch services in post offices. Mr O’Callaghan said a community banking model would be more sustainable, providing funding for small and medium enterprises and localcommunities. The provision of banking though the Post Office Network will require initial investment. National Treasury Management Agency has more than €23 Billion in deposits, which could be incentivised for investment to public banking. He stressed new measures are needed to safeguard the the post office network in Clare and prevent further closures. His concern comes after another setback for the Broadford Action Group’s efforts to reverse the closure of the local post office, which …

Fiona McGarry and Dan Danaher A ROUND of applause was given by members of Clare County Council, at their November meeting, to a leading advocate for the protection of the rural post office network. A total of ten councillors had signed up to two motions call for the enactment of a Dáil motion passed in 2016, calling for the establishment of a post office banking service to help secure the future of rural offices. Tom O’Callaghan, Chairperson of the Independent Postmasters’ Group, a proponent of the motions was in attendance at last Monday’s meeting and, after an appeal from councillors PJ Kelly and Gabriel Keating, was allowed to address the gathering. In a letter circulated to local councillors, Tom O’Callaghan outlined the financial gravity 31 Clare Post Offices find themselves in and warned that revisions to incomes would shortly make them unviable. “I spent the first ten years of my career working in the postal service,” Councillor Keating told the meeting. …

A Clare postmaster has outlined plans to set up a new postmasters’ union, following claims that the existing Irish Postmasters’ Union (IPU) has “failed miserably” to safeguard the interests of more than 1,000 of its members. Kildysart native, Tom O’Callaghan confirmed to The Clare Champion his intentions to set up a new Independent Postmasters’ Group, once the latest Dáil bill in relation to postal services is passed. Mr O’Callaghan, who runs a post office on Upper William Street in Limerick City, officially resigned from the IPU on Wednesday evening. According to his resignation letter, a copy of which has been seen by The Clare Champion, the Clarecastle resident said it is with a heavy heart that he had come to the conclusion that the current executive of the IPU has “failed miserably in their duty of care to guard the interest of their membership”. “Their silence in the current crisis of An Post announcing the unviability of up 700 offices …

Carol Byrne THE Irish Postmasters Union (IPU) is to meet Minister Pat Rabbitte on Monday, amid concerns that a new partnership arrangement and possible change to the social welfare payment system will lead to the death of rural post offices. Speaking to The Clare Champion this week, Tom O’Callaghan, national executive member with the IPU for County Clare, said the new partnership between An Post and Tesco will signal the death of not only the post office network, but of rural communities. “I’m trying to get across to people the seriousness of where we are. If this is gone, it doesn’t come back. An Post and Tesco are looking at rolling out 10 sites that take the transactions like any other post office. A post office doesn’t get paid by salary, it is per transaction; the less transactions you do, the less you get paid. This is a direct threat on those post offices, which would wipeout rural Ireland. This …

THE Irish Postmaster’s Union (IPU), is to hold a meeting for Clare postmasters, their families and supporters in  Ennis this week to discuss plans to ensure the sustainability of all local post offices. All public representatives are being invited to attend the meeting at Treacy’s West County Hotel on Thursday night. Tom O’Callaghan, national executive member for Clare with the IPU, will host the meeting, which will form part of a major campaign seeking a coordinated plan from the government to ensure the sustainability of the Post Office network. “Many Post Offices in Clare are seriously threatened with closure right now. We urgently need the Government to deliver on its commitment made in the programme for government and produce a plan that will sustain the network. We plan to move our political lobbying up a gear through a nationwide campaign involving all members and this meeting is a stepping stone in an overall national campaign to secure the future of …