O’Donoghue backs urgent action to save rural post offices
Independent Ireland’s Richard O’Donoghue TD calls for State to embrace post office sustainability plan as vital to social and economic life in rural Ireland
Richard O’Donoghue TD, General Secretary of Independent Ireland and representative for Limerick County, has today expressed strong support for the proposals put forward by Postmaster Tom O’Callaghan and the ‘Save Your Community Post Office’ campaign, calling on the Government to act decisively to prevent widespread closures in the post office network from April 2025.
O’Donoghue described the network of over 900 community post offices as “the last remaining physical thread linking government to people in many rural areas” and said that failure to introduce a long-term viability plan “will drive a dagger through the heart of local Ireland”.
The proposals, presented to Deputies earlier this month, call for the urgent implementation of the Private Members Motion passed by the Dáil in 2016. This includes the development of a five-year holding plan, the rollout of new financial products, and capital investment in community banking through An Post.
“We cannot continue paying lip service to rural Ireland while dismantling the very services that allow it to survive,” said Deputy O’Donoghue. “Post offices are not just a utility—they are the economic and social backbone of hundreds of communities. From cashing pensions to providing trusted face-to-face interactions with State services, these offices are irreplaceable.”
The Independent Ireland TD has long advocated for parity of esteem between urban and rural Ireland and believes that safeguarding the post office network is a clear test of that commitment.
“If the Government can’t see the value in saving 1,400 jobs and ensuring access to essential services in every county, then it’s failing its rural citizens.”
The campaign’s proposals also point to potential for post offices to take on new administrative tasks, such as handling motor tax renewals and housing support documentation, to diversify revenue.
O’Donoghue echoed that call, saying: “Every time a government service is digitised without a local alternative, another elderly or isolated person is left behind. If the State truly believes in digital transformation, it must also invest in local access points like our post offices.”
The Limerick County TD concluded by calling on all parties and independents to work together: “This is not a party-political issue—it’s a national issue. We need urgent cross-party commitment to fund and futureproof our post office network before closures become irreversible. Once they’re gone, they’re not coming back.”
