Reports that Cratloe Post Office is to close have brought a strong reaction from Fianna Fáil TD, Timmy Dooley.
He was reacting to a directive from An Post that the office will close in March 2015.
“I am shocked at news that An Post plans on closing Cratloe Post Office in March of next year. When An Post first considered closing the Post Office in June, the local community came together and put forward a comprehensive business plan. However, this has now been rejected by An Post,” he said.
Continuing, Deputy Dooley said, “I am absolutely shocked that An Post cannot see the benefit and value of the post office to the local community in Cratloe. The business plan presented included proposals on making the post office a viable business.
“If the Post Office was to close, then the adjoining shop may also have to close. This would rob the village of two vital local amenities. Rural Ireland has already been severely eroded under the Fine Gael and Labour Government; there seems to be a deliberate policy to dismantle local communities through the closure of Garda Stations; small schools while rural bus routes have also been curtailed.”
Deputy Dooley called on the Government representatives in Clare to lobby Minister Alex White to reverse this decision.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.