Signed, sealed and delivered!

- Veronica Corr -

“After 24 years of not being bitten by a dog or smashing my van, I thank God for getting me to January 31 in great health.”

Carrickmacross postman John Joe Carroll, from Killann in Shercock, will deliver his last letter later this week having served the Carrick town route for the last 17 years.

“I started doing country runs first, Magheracloone, Corduff, Killanny – I know all of them. In 2009, routes were redesigned and this has been my ‘post’ ever since, with 865 delivery points! I delivered to every street: Main Street, O’Neill Street, Farney Street, Church Street, Parnell Street, Monaghan Street and two housing estates. I never took a sick day in 12 years. Whatever people were looking for, Carrickmacross had it! They just had to ask the postman, a Cavan man working in Monaghan!”

In all, John Joe has dedicated almost a quarter of a century to the postal service, spending the bulk of his working life ensuring that the people of Shercock, Raferagh and Carrickmacross received their letters and packages on time, every time!

The postie said his job involved a degree of detective work. Once a sizeable package, with a return to sender address arrived from Australia, but it only had the first name and house number of the person it was intended for in Carrickmacross. So, John Joe investigated if there was anyone of that name in the corresponding number within the estates of the town. He persisted until the package was successfully delivered.

Changing trends

John Joe also reflected on how his job and the postal service has evolved over the years. He used to do the route on-foot, with his trusty green trolley, nicknamed ‘Air Force One’ because it was always on standby! He never had any trouble on the post run, except when the brakes on the cart went. Still fit, his pedometer recorded 16,000 steps on the afternoon of his Celt interview and he takes hot yoga twice a week.

The increase in parcel volume, due to online shopping trends particularly during Covid, meant John Joe had to get a van. The postie observed that one of the few services undisrupted during the pandemic was postal. He was trusted to collect items for people who were isolated in their own homes, including prescriptions.

An outgoing personality, John Joe enjoyed the camaraderie with his colleagues in the Carrickmacross sorting office in Steadfast Industrial Estate. A large lorry comes down from Dublin in the middle of the night carrying post for 17 local postal routes. Then the team at the local sorting centre swings into action.

Chat and tea

John Joe strategically planned his route, commenting that there were houses that you couldn’t go past without going in for tea and a chat! Rosie McChesney, who brought the impending retiree to the Celt’s attention said: “The girls in Daisy will miss their postman John Joe. No matter what was in the bag, a big delivery, small parcel, or a return-to-sender (an Elvis parcel, he called it!), he always arrived in great form with a story to tell and a bit of banter. We wish him health and happiness in a very well-earned retirement.”

Having delivered news and packages of all descriptions to households all over south Monaghan, the Cavan man had to admit: “They’re not a bad old bunch!” Shercock is located centrally between bigger towns Bailieborough, Kingscourt, Cootehill and Carrickmacross. All attract people from their natural hinterland, but there is something about Carrick that has always tempted citizens of Cavan across the county boundary!”

Highs and lows

The popular postman is preparing to do his last round this Friday, January 30. Since he is turning 60 years young, retirement from An Post is mandatory. He will miss the thousands of friends he has made over the years. John Joe is a big GAA man and he acknowledged that Carrick people were an immense help when he was spearheading the fundraiser for Shercock GFC’s clubroom build.

Before he became a postal worker, John Joe worked for Bailey Foods in Bailieborough. He started by doing relief in Shercock for a year and a half or so. Shercock’s post must be collected from Carrick. On John Joe’s last day of relief, he bid his manager farewell on a Friday and, before the day was out, John Joe got a call to report to the sorting office on Monday morning: “I am here ever since! Being happy in my job means a lot.”.

Most of his days on the job were good ones: “When I started off first, I used to call into my neighbour Eddie Cassidy, who was a postman himself and used to give me tips. One amusing story he recalled was a Christmas cake that kept getting returned to sender, because the return address was much bigger than the destination address!

The low point came in early 2014, one morning his colleague Michael Kelly commented: ‘John Joe, I’m very cold of myself.” Michael died later that day. “It shocked us all,” John Joe recalls, a tear forming in his eye.

When this reporter went down to the sorting office, he pointed out a plaque dedicated to his late colleague on the wall.

Every year since the postal workers go out around the anniversary of Michael’s death (January 14) instead of Christmas. They have a Mass dedicated to his memory, followed by a meal.

While John Joe has no plans for retirement, aside from winning the Lotto, he very much looks forward to spending quality time and taking holidays with his partner of 14 years, Bella from Kenya. “I’m looking forward to a new chapter,” he concluded.