Connolly Post Office set to close

The imminent closure of Connolly Post Office will mean that there will be no full post office services in Kilmaley, Connolly, Inagh or Kilnamona in a few weeks’ time.

News that Pauline Connellan is to retire after 37 years will result in the post office closing down. The postmistress operated Connolly with her late husband, Patsy.
Fine Gael TD Pat Breen has described the closure as “another savage attack on rural Ireland,” and has asked that the decision be overturned.
Acknowledging the service that Pauline and Patsy Connellan had given to Connolly for nearly four decades, the Ballynacally TD claimed that An Post are using retirements as an excuse to close post offices.
“I am very disappointed at this latest decision and I believe that An Post are using the retirements of post mistresses and post masters as an excuse to plough ahead with their plans to close down rural post offices,” he said.
“They are refusing to advertise the resultant vacancy and the people of Connolly and Kilmaley will now be forced to go to Miltown Malbay or Ennis. This will especially impact upon elderly people who have to pick up their pensions and of course in many areas now we do have any rural transport. Yet at the same time, we are expecting people to travel further for basic services with this ongoing policy of centralisation,” he added.
Deputy Breen appealed to An Post to reverse their decision.
“An Post must review their policy of closing down rural post offices and centralising all services. While I understand from An Post that they have plans to introduce a limited service in the Connolly area, similar to which has been introduced in other areas, this is not a full post office. I would urge them to reconsider this decision as effectively the entire area of Kilmaley/Connolly/Inagh/Kilnamona is now left without a fully serviced post office,” he pointed out.
The Clare Fine Gael TD feels that this development is a further example of the erosion of services in rural Ireland.
“This Government’s lack of action to arrest the decline of rural Ireland has already led to the closure of many of our rural post offices and garda stations. Clare farmers are the latest victims with the Department of Agriculture office in Ennis closing down on April 15 next. This will force Clare farmers to travel to Limerick to do their necessary business,” he stated.