New Rathmines post office “inappropriate” residents say

The closure of the post office in Rathmines has drawn sharp criticism from residents and local politicians.

The historic building closed on July 17, despite the best efforts of local residents and elected representatives to keep it open.

Postal services are still available to Rathmines residents, but postal services have now been transferred to a local Centra.

Local resident Enid O’Dowd, of the Belgrave Residents Association, said the new set-up is wholly inappropriate.

She said that in the weeks leading up to the closure of the post office, she had received conflicting reports from employees about whether the post office was closing or not, implying that employees knew just as much as local residents about the ultimate fate of the post office.

O’Dowd is among the local residents to use the new postal services, and said that the new set-up was not suitable for people with buggies, wheelchair users or people with disabilities.

“Instead of a wide, open space as we had at the old post office, we are now shunted in by the drinks aisle,” she remarked, and said that the new space is roughly 8X16 feet, or “roughly the same size as my dining room.”

O’Dowd said that local residents groups, such as the Belgrave Residents Association, have had their calls for engagement “ignored” by An Post.

She noted that privacy is a part of the post office experience, and that is not possible with the new set-up.

“People go to the post office for any number of reasons,” she said, and expressed concern that people may not be able to carry out sensitive tasks, such as banking-related matters, in the new confined space.

As recently as April 2025, O’Dowd was told that there was “no threat” to the Rathmines post office.

In communication to O’Dowd, seen by Southside People, An Post explained that the post office in Rathmines was becoming a “Postmaster” run post office, which is the nationwide standard.

An Post noted that 95% of post offices across Ireland are run in a similar system.

The correspondence promised a “bright, modern purpose-fitted post office nearby.”

It claimed that the upkeep and maintenance costs of the Art Deco post office were “high” and it was “quite difficult” to provide a modern post service in a building constructed for another area.

The new post office, charitably, cannot be described as “purpose-fitted.”

O’Dowd described the conditions as “cramped” and was nowhere near suitable for the needs and demands of a local post office.

However, it has emerged that An Post received just one offer to take over postmaster services from the Rathmines post office, which is an issue facing postal services right across Ireland.

Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan has stated that the issues facing Ireland’s postal services can be traced to a lack of people wanting to become postmasters.

Speaking in the Dáil in late 2025, Minister O’Donovan explained “if a postmaster is retiring, and an office is closing and nobody else wants to take it on, inevitably, we are looking at closure.”

“The reality is, however, that in the past number of years the number of closures has gone down. This is not just something that is unique to rural areas. We have seen a substantial number of urban offices close as well.”

He stated, “there is no point coming to a public meeting to keep a post office open if you have not been in a post office for the past 12 months; that is the reality.”

“Postmasters cannot operate on the basis of sentiment. They have to operate on the basis of transactions and loyalty from the local community. 

Minister O’Donovan’s approach to post office closures contrasts with the efforts of local Labour politicians.

Since 2022, Labour leader and local TD Ivana Bacik alongside local Labour councillors Dermot Lacey and Fiona Connelly have attempted to keep the post office open, holding numerous public meetings on the topic and working with local community groups on the issue.

Bacik criticised An Post for their handling of the situation.

She noted that An Post carried out a leaflet drop in the week before the move, which was not enough notice.

“Far too many people relied on rumour and word of mouth to understand what was happening. Much of the anxiety that sparked our campaign arose from a lack of clear and timely information,” she said in correspondence to residents who were looking to keep the post office open.

“Though we were unable to stop the move, An Post and the government will be in no doubt about the strength of feeling among residents, and our deep frustration at the erosion of public services in this area,” she said.

Local community group The Rathmines Initiative was also critical of the situation.

They noted that instead of seven customer service windows in the Post Office, it has now been replaced by three customer service windows at a Centra shop.

“Imagine what it will be like at Christmas, the queue will be out in the cold on the street,” they noted.

“How will there be room for both the Centra customers and An Post customers?  Is it even safe?  What if there was a fire or a robbery?”

“In what universe does it make sense for An Post to move services from the old building, when that building will probably not be saleable until Eircom moves out of the upper floor at the end of their ten year lease in eight years time?”

“Can the An Post person who made this decision give a satisfactory explanation of the situation?” they asked.

There are tentative plans for the post office building to be put on the market and turned into a community asset.

As recently as March, Bacik stated that Rathmines post office was “too important” to be turned into a commercial development.

“Alongside councillors Connelly and Lacey, I have been working with residents’ associations, local people and activist groups to push for a meaningful dialogue between An Post and Dublin City Council that would secure this public building for genuine community use. The Rathmines Post Office must remain in public ownership,” she said at the time.

Criticism of the post office services has also come from government TDs.

Fine Gael TD Maeve O’Connell stated in March “we seem to have government policies that are at odds,” in terms of communication.

“One policy is encouraging people, particularly in urban areas, to live, work, socialise and avail of services in the local community, while another arm of the government is removing the very services we need to keep us in our local communities,” the Dublin Rathdown TD said.