Sadness in Ballyforan as local post office closes

There was widespread sadness and disappointment in Ballyforan to see the local post office close for the final time on October 29 last.

Cllr Emer Kelly, who is from Ballyforan, said the move will certainly leave a gap in the village and will be badly missed.

“I am extremely disappointed to see the closure of Ballyforan Post Office. Ballyforan Post Office was the only remaining post office in the parish and its closure will leave the local people without an essential service,” she said.

“While we are fortunate that postal and bill paying services will relocate to Maureen’s Foodstore (in the village), other services such as obtaining pensions will have to be accessed elsewhere. This will prove increasingly difficult for elderly people or those who are unable to drive but require these services as they will now have to source lifts to other areas, for example, Ballygar, to get their pension,” she added.

With rural villages constantly fighting for survival, Cllr Kelly urged local people to shop local as much as possible.

“The closure of post offices is another blow to rural villages and it’s a shame to see the loss of such a great service. I would encourage people to continue to shop local and to continue to utilise the postal services in Ballyforan through the local shop.

“I would like to commend Breege and all the staff who have worked in Ballyforan Post Office throughout the years on the excellent service they have provided,” she said.

Similarly, in a post on Facebook on November 1, Maureen's Foodstore sent its own best wishes to Breege Mullen for a “very happy retirement”.

“The familiar green postbox has been relocated to the front of Maureen's Foodstore,” it continued, adding that the shop will continue to provide services like selling stamps, Billpay and Parcel Connect.

Post will be collected from Ballyforan at 3.15pm daily.