Up to sixteen post offices across Donegal will close between now and next January, it has been confirmed.
Three post offices including Churchill, Quigley’s Point and Ballymagan will close in the coming weeks as part of the An Post voluntary closure scheme.
And at least a dozen more will close their doors before next January under the scheme.
The names of the other post offices set to close have not been revealed yet.
Brid Gallagher, an executive member of the Postmasters Union, who is based in Dunfanaghy, confirmed the closures to Donegal Daily.
Ms Gallagher said that under the scheme, family members can no longer take over the running of the local postal service.
She added that with each passing month it was becoming more difficult for local post office operators to make a living form the service.
“The reality is that everything is becoming more automated. Pensions are being paid directly by the banks and there is even talk now that TV licenses will be handled by revenue.
“The operators of local post offices survive on the amount of business they do and unfortunately that business is becoming less and less.
“It really is death by a thousand cuts and it is so difficult to watch the very lifeblood disappearing from local villages,” she said.
Ms Gallagher added that public representatives in Donegal have been made aware that this time was coming for the past six years but nothing was done about it.
“They have paid lip service to this and the reality now is that it is happening.
“There is very little we can do now and you simply cannot blame local operators for taking the package because their business is becoming smaller and smaller each year.
“The only people who can do anything about the closure of local post offices is the Minister for Communications and An Post and that it not going to happen,” she said.
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