After Cork, with 34 closures, County Galway ranks joint-second place with Dublin in terms of the most facilities closed in one county.
The figures were released in response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane, showing that 257 post offices have closed since January 2015, including 201 rural offices, and 56 urban.
Sinn Féin TD for Galway East, Louis O’Hara, called for targeted, strategic investment to protect the post office network across Galway, and elsewhere.
“The local post office plays a vital role in Irish life, providing financial services, access to the social welfare system, communications infrastructure and community supports. In many areas, they are the only visible expression of the state,” he said.
“They foster social inclusion, connection and participation, especially for older people and those on the margins. They are public services, not just private enterprises, and must be supported as such.
O’Hara’s comments come as the Irish Postmasters Union have warned that 40 per cent of post offices could close unless government funding for the network increases.
“There is widespread concern that the current contract terms are simply not fit for purpose. They are not attracting new entrants to take over post office services when long-serving postmasters retire,” O’Hara said.
“Without a new approach, as advocated by the Irish Post Office Union, the network will continue to shrink, and more and more communities will lose their post office. That would be a huge blow to social cohesion, particularly in rural areas.
“Galway is one of the counties most affected by the closure of post offices in recent years, only Cork has seen a greater number of closures. This underlines the need to protect our current network from further closures and vital services being removed from local communities.
Last year, An Post advertised three post offices for sale across Galway. These were n Athenry, Loughrea and Tuam, adding up to a total advertised sale price of €700,000.
