An Post stamp new county boundary

Householders in South-East Clare have asked that An Post stamp out its attempts to move Parteen into Limerick by readdressing some local correspondence.
Frank Sheahan, Fairyfield, Parteen was taken aback to discover An Post had decided to move Parteen from Clare into Limerick by placing a change of address sticker on the envelope of a correspondence he had received.
The sticker stated, “important – delay caused by ‘incorrect’ postal address, please let your correspondents know your correct postal address as indicated opposite” with an arrow pointing to Limerick instead of Clare.
Having lived in Parteen for the last 23 years, Mr Sheahan said he didn’t recall suddenly moving into County Limerick. He also objects to the request that he write to all utility providers and people he conducts business with to receive correspondence at his home address.
An Post says that it is only concerned with efficient mail delivery and places a sticker to facilitate the proper routing of letters from the correct delivery office, in this case, Limerick instead of Ennis.
Ardnacrusha postmistress Angela Nash has also had a similar sticker placed on envelopes indicating Ardnacrusha is in Limerick.
She believes someone in the An Post sorting office in Cork might have incorrectly placed it on some letters.
She confirmed she hasn’t the authority to change anybody’s address and can only place a sticker on correspondence advising the sender that a person is no longer residing at a particular address, once appropriate proof is provided.
Local historian Donal O’Riain said some residents write ‘Parteen near Limerick’ or ‘via Limerick’ on their postal address to help them get mail quicker.
However, as a proud Clareman, he stressed there is a distinct difference with An Post taking the liberty of changing the county where a person resides. He said people’s affiliation with their county is sacrosanct and felt it was wrong of An Post to move the county boundary.
An Post spokeswoman Anna McHugh explained a person’s post town may be across a county boundary and stated the correct postal address should include the name of the mail delivery office serving the customer.
“Properties can have a number of addresses attributed to them by different institutions for different purposes. Title deeds for a property may list an address based on historic townlands or a barony, which is no longer in common usage but is correct for legal purposes, while church records may record an address based on parish boundaries. Council records may use a totally different version of an address.
“We have to admit that we haven’t always enforced the rules around postal addressing but, in recent years, it is a priority for us.
“Sometimes addresses have evolved to look like a set of directions to a property, with all sorts of information added that has nothing whatsoever to do with the routing of mail. For postal deliveries, we must have an address that makes sense to the postal system,” she said.