An Post to put Blacklion Post Office to tender as post mistress steps down

The looming spectre of Brexit has cast a pall over a small Cavan community.  The announcement by the post mistress in Blacklion, Dymphna Stewart, of her intention to step down from the role in February has come as a shock to locals.
West Cavan business have always facilitated dual currency exchanges, but the dramatic fall in the value of sterling since Britain has indicated it will leave the union of 28 has hit local incomes. Ms Steward says that her business has halved since the Brexit vote mainly due to the fluctuations in sterling.
“The euro and pound are almost hitting even. It has just made it very difficult for me to continue in businesses. I don’t expect people to shop here for the sake of it. You know that people with families just have to do what is best for their families. I have done what I can to try and make it (the business) work. I changed opening hours, but it did not make a difference,” Dympna said.
She says the decision was not an easy one: “It is extremely difficult to make it work with the way the currency has gone. Right now this is not for me, hopefully it will work for someone else.  I am very disappointed. It is a good post office.”
Even though the increase in rates coming next year was not a factor in the post mistresses decision, other increasing overheads were influential: “Every bill you get cuts into your wages. The Post Office is an important part of the community and I hope that someone else will be able to make a go of it.”
Local councillor John Paul Feeley (FF) says that An Post must move on the tender process for the provision of a Post Office for Blacklion to allow the community an opportunity to sustain the service.
Cllr Feeley said that he wished the Postmistress well in the future: “She has provided an excellent service and will be missed in the local community. Our community deserve the chance to continue the service and I have called for An Post to put it to tender as soon as possible. Sadly in recent years we have had to fight too many battles to keep our Post Office.”
He said that the support by the community is vital for the viability of the Post Office: “I call on people to use local services. From the local post office to the shop or butcher shop, if local communities do not support it then they cannot complain about losing them.”
The matter was discussed at a meeting of the Cavan Belturbet Municipal District last night.

A statement from an Post to the Anglo Celt said: “A public consultation process was triggered by the post mistress' decision to retire. The process is intended to help on An Post arrive at a decision on how best to provide post office services to Blacklion in the future, this might include closure. The consultation process closes on December 18th after which we will make a decision to advertise the contract to provide a post office in Blacklion or not.”