LABOUR councillor Elena Secas was full of praise at City Hall for how An Post celebrated Cillian Murphy’s Best Actor Oscar win by painting a post box gold near his childhood home in Cork.
The City East representative congratulated the Oppenheimer star on his “fantastic historic achievement” after becoming the first ever Irish person to win the coveted gong.
Cllr Secas also took the opportunity at this month’s Metropolitan District meeting to propose that the council now calls on An Post to play their part and restore post boxes in Castleconnell in County Limerick.
She urged the council management to ask An Post to reinstate the post box in the centre of Castleconnell village and repair and restore the heritage post boxes in the locality.
“It was great to see An Post honouring and celebrating Cillian Murphy’s best actor Oscar win last week by gold painting a post box near the actor’s childhood home in Cork. This shows that An Post are not indifferent and take pride in Irish success and history,” she told the chamber.
“Thus, I urge them to listen to the needs of the Castleconnell people and reinstate the post box in the centre of the village and take pride in the heritage post boxes in the locality and restore them as soon as feasible.”
Cllr Secas said that “the post box in the centre of the village had been a big part of the local community in Castleconnell for decades until the relocation of the post office just over a year ago”.
“Imagine an older person attending Mass on a Sunday and having to walk an extra 300 metres to post a letter. Isn’t that quite a walk for an older person? Where is the social conscience?” she asked.
According to Cllr Secas, the stand for the post box is still in place, so all An Post need do is to bring back and install the actual box.
“As regards the heritage post boxes, there are only three of them – at Charco’s Corner, the Protestant church, and one on the approach to Daly’s Cross. These are relics which one can learn a lot from only by looking at them. The oldest one, I understand, is at least 123 years old. Imagine how much history that box has seen over this period of time?”
