RESIDENTS of the County Limerick village of Caherconlish can breathe a sigh of relief as the village looks set to retain its Post Office.
Limerick Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea revealed on Wednesday that he has been informed by An Post that a new contractor has been appointed to run the County Limerick village’s Post Office.
Deputy O’Dea said: “I have been informed by An Post that a new contractor has been appointed to run Caherconlish Post Office in the current premises from around July 6.
“This is really welcome news for the community of Caherconlish and the surrounding areas, who rightfully feared the loss of this vital service with the retirement of the current Post Mistress, Kitsy Hickey. Now thankfully, the service will continue on seamlessly after her retirement.
Deputy O’Dea said that many of his constituents in the Caherconlish area had contacted him about the issue, and were “very concerned at the prospect of their local Post Office facing imminent closure”.
He added: “Last month I put a call out on Facebook for anybody interested in applying to run the Post Office to contact me, and I would put them in touch with An Post.
“I was overwhelmed with the response and based on the level and calibre of the interest, I was confident we would save Caherconlish Post Office from closure.
“Having forwarded all of this information to An Post, they arranged interviews with suitable applicants and now they have appointed a new contractor to run Caherconlish Post Office from around July 6.”
According to Deputy O’Dea, An Post is “delighted to be able to ensure continuity of service for the people of Caherconlish and surrounding areas”.
He concluded, “I want to wish the outgoing Post Mistress Kitsy Hickey all the best in her well-earned retirement.”
Fine Gael TD Kieran O’Donnell also welcomed the news and said: “The post office will continue to operate from the existing post office premises on the main street. This is great news for Caherconlish and the surrounding areas, providing great certainty on the future of the vital post office service in the village.
“I wish to pay tribute to Kitty Hickey for over 40 years of continuous service as Post Mistress to the people of Caherconlish and surrounding areas. It is an incredible achievement.”
