Clare County Councillor Tom O’Callaghan, who has campaigned for years for a radical overhaul of the Post Office network to provide new financial services such as low-interest mortgages, has organised an open day to mark his 25 years in business.
Through his work with the Independent Postmasters’ Group, the Clarecastle resident has lobbied for the retention of post offices in urban and rural areas, criticising successive Governments for not doing enough to provide a viable business for postmasters.
The father-of-one was proud to secure a commitment about safeguarding the future of post offices in the Fianna Fáil General Election Manifesto in 2014 with the help of Deputy Willie O’Dea.
Having secured the support of Independent Deputies, Councillor O’Callaghan successfully lobbied to get a Private Members’ Motion about measures to revitalise the post office network passed in the Dáil.
However, much to his disappointment it wasn’t fully implemented, but he believes it resulted in subsidies that prevented even more closures.
“If the Government doesn’t take urgent action to create additional business for post offices up to 600 post offices are facing closure nationwide before the end of the year,” he said.
In 2012, Upper William Street Post Office won the coveted Customer Plus Post Office of the Year award for excellence in customer service and sales performance out of an estimated 900 posts offices nationwide.
Councillor O’Callaghan explained he decided to host the event to thank everyone for the support he has received from the local community.
From Monday, August 10, free raffle tickets have been distributed to customers, which will continue up until the draw for some fabulous spot prizes on Friday, August 29 at 2pm.
MEP for Ireland South Cynthia Ní Mhurchú will be the special guest speaker for the event, which is expected to draw a large crowd of loyal customers and well wishers.
His post office at 42 Upper William Street, Limerick City, is located in a Centra supermarket beside an independent Subway store as part of one retail outlet.
Previously known as Marshals Garden Centre, it was an old derelict building, which Councillor O’Callaghan completely refurbished in 2004 that facilitated its transformation into a vibrant commercial space.
“I will be thanking everybody on the day. It is a celebration of local community. Hopefully, I will still be in the post office for the next 25 years.
“I started a business in Upper William Street in 1998 before I successfully acquired the post office in August 2000.
“When I acquired the post office there were nine candidates looking for the contract but even though I wasn’t from Limerick, I was successful at the age of 29, which was quite unusual and an achievement in itself.
“I have been honoured to serve as a postmaster since then. Even though I am a proud Clareman, I have a soft spot for Limerick people who have been extremely supportive to me for many years.
“Before I was appointed postmaster, I experienced the tragic loss of my sister due to a horse riding accident. I was trading for two years and will never forget the support I got from Limerick people who came and paid their respects to me in huge numbers.
“That proves to me we have to protect the human element of all businesses. If we lose that, we are losing the soul of all our communities. That has to be a priority for all Governments,” he said.
Councillor O’Callaghan says he is delighted that Upper William Street has bucked the trend of business closures in the city centre over the last ten years.
“We now have a large supermarket with Subway, which is all trading successfully. The objective in Upper William Street is how do we protect and preserve the local community.
“Thankfully we have our business community that has grown over the years. This includes a fish shop, post office, local butcher’s shop, sports store, Asian supermarket, Mace supermarket, chinese,chemist, charity shop, barber, furniture,bar/restaurant and audio visual technology store, and car hire business on the street. It is effectively a thriving community,” he said.
The Independent Postmasters’ Group Chairman loves meeting his customers, particularly old characters from the city and county who dress up and complete a wide variety of financial transactions in his post offices on Thursdays and Fridays as part of their weekly social day out.
“The role of a postmaster is not just about giving out money. A postmaster only acts as a counsellor giving support and advice to customers who may have a physical or psychological disability and need support from someone they can trust.
Working as a Senior Munster Retail Advisor for Musgraves for ten years, Councillor O’Callaghan’s job was to locate retail opportunities on behalf of the company, provide advice on store layout, marketing, staffing and operational logistics.
His primary focus at the time was identifying new business opportunities in the independent retail sector.
“At the time, with the help of forward thinking convenience food was becoming more popular. One of the biggest sellers was the Jumbo Breakfast Roll, which subsequently was made famous by a song from comedian Pat Shortt.
“From the beginning, the main ethos is to provide a top class service for local people. We have maintained and grown our business. We have diversified by becoming a retailer for a jewellery company, post and packaging and Western Union service, pensions, savings and investments.
“People forget they can open a Post Office Current Account, tap and purchase in any retailer and buy online. We need to provide new services like low-interest mortgages that are being delivered in other countries.
“A new community bank could be created to allow the profits to go back into local communities. I would like to see the rollout of the New Zealand model where they are generating more than €100 million annually with the same number of post offices and no closures.
“The post office is the heart of all communities urban and rural. Having a thriving business like a post office generates business and employment elsewhere in the locality, keeping life in our communities,” he said.
Councillor O’Callaghan was co-opted to Clare County Council in 2022 before he was re-elected two years later when Fianna Fáil captured four seats in the Ennis Municipal District, gaining an extra seat at the expense of Fine Gael.