Fianna Fáil TD for Roscommon-Galway Eugene Murphy is urging people to ‘get offline’ and take the time to post a card or letter to a loved one this Christmas season as part of an initiative to safeguard the post office network.
Deputy Murphy hosted a presentation in Leinster House on Tuesday on the plight of the rural post office network which is in danger of collapsing with the threat of closure now hanging over almost 600 post offices throughout the country.
A number of postmasters and postmistresses from the Roscommon/Galway constituency travelled to Leinster House to take part in the presentation which is urging Government action in a bid to salvage the post office network.
“I am urging people to get offline and take the time to actually physically write and post a card or letter this Christmas season and to make a visit to their local post office. People need to re-engage with their local post office because unfortunately it’s a case of use it or lose it!
“This is the ideal time of year to encourage children in particular to write a letter or card to a loved one – if schools got involved and every child throughout the country took the time to write a letter or card, visit their local post office and buy a stamp that would be a great boost to the network and a major vote of confidence in this vital service,” said Deputy Murphy.
“The art of letter writing is dying and we are all guilty of text speech and the over use of abbreviations so if people moved away from the digital sphere and took the time to write and post a letter it could make someone’s Christmas with a more personal touch.
“For many older people particularly those in rural areas, isolation and loneliness can be a major factor during the festive season and it could really brighten someone’s day to receive a handwritten card or letter,” he explained.
