2019 news review: End of the line for Curragh post office

The Curragh Camp Post Office, housed in a historic purpose-built building which dates back to the turn of the last century and before the foundation of the State, moved location during the summer.

Postmaster Sean Sheehy stood down at 67 years of age and his retirement coincide d with the opening of a new post office premises — 200 yards away beside Fintan Darling’s launderette.

The post office serves a much wider area than the Curragh Camp.

Its customers come from the Brownstown, Maddenstown, Suncroft, Athgarvan and Cutbush hinterlands as well as Kildare town and Newbridge.

The service and building closed on Friday July 19 and reopened on July 22 under Mr Darling’s management.

The striking red brick building dominates that corner site in the Curragh Camp and it has considerable social and historical importance.

This is because it was the first purpose built post office completed in Ireland, with the exception of the GPO in Dublin. It’s thought it was completed around 1900.

The office was also staffed by Liz Browne and Breda Sheehy, Sean’s wife and both also retired.

Sean was the postmaster for the better part of 17 years, since March 2003.

”I’m now retiring and this has partly prompted the change of location.

“If I’d stayed on the building might have continued to be used. But I wasn’t willing to renew the contract. I’ve been working for 53 years it’s about time I stopped working,” said Sean.

Born in Coill Dubh, Sean lived for a time in Newbridge. But tragedy struck his family when he was a child.

He was only 7 when his Dad died, leaving Sean’s mum with the task of rearing a large family on her own in straitened times.

So, as was the custom of the era, Sean and another sibling were sent to a relative and he was brought up in London’s East End.