The village post office, which had previously been located in the local chemist, closed last year. Since then villagers have been forced to travel to Kinawley for its services. That should soon change, however, with plans for the service to be set back up again, this time at McDade’s Spar. 

A public consultation on the new location is currently open until April 17, and locals have been urged to have their voices heard. It is hoped the new post office could be up and running by May or June this year. Full details of the proposal can be found on www.postofficeviews.co.uk. 

“We are pleased to tell you that, if the move goes ahead, subject to consultation, the new premises will offer the same products and services,” said the Post Office in a notice in the Knockninny Parish Newsletter this week. Cllr Barry Doherty said the withdrawal of the post office had “added to the lack of resources we have in our small villages”, adding the withdrawal of services from rural areas was a problem around the county. 

In this case, Cllr Doherty said the return of the post office to the village was an example of “people power”, where Derrylin residents had made it known to the Post Office they needed the service back, and how keeping the pressure on to retain services can have a positive pay-off.  

“It’s something people need to do all the time,” he said. “I understand my role in all of this, I’m an elected representative and I’m here to give voice to what the people want. However, in all these scenarios the real power lies with the people who are in the village and they’re the people who need to make their voices heard to people like me, to people like the Post Office, and to do that constantly.” 

With regard the consultation, Cllr Doherty encouraged as many people as possible to engage with it.  

He added, however: “I don’t think they’re going to find out no one wants a post office in Derrylin, so the consultation is adding extra time to the process. At this point, consultation or no consultation, people are eager to get the service back into the village.”