User:Jnestorius/Post towns in Ireland

< Postal addresses in the Republic of Ireland

There are three possible interpretations:

1. Post towns with sorting offices for address purposes
   • as in List of post towns in the United Kingdom
   • idea as regards postal addresses seems to have been introduced in Ireland shortly before 1962, though use of term "post town" only later and intermittent
2. Any place with a post office
   • this is the meaning in
     • Post-Sheanchas; i n-a bhfuil cúigí, dúithchí, conntaethe, bailte puist na nÉireann. 1 Sacsbhéarla-Gaedhilg (Seosamh Laoide, 1905)
     • SI 133 of 1973 An tOrdú Logainmneacha (Foirmeacha Gaeilge) (Uimh. 1) (Postbhailte) 1975 "The Placenames (Irish Forms) (No. 1) (Post towns) Order 1975"
   • far more of these than of #1
3. List of Eircode routing areas in Ireland
   • Routing areas correspond more-or-less with #1 but some Central Statistics Office "routing key descriptions" are not names of towns (eg Little Island for routing key T45).
   • "Routing Key ... identifies the principal postal town related to the building or property’s postal address. The principal postal town is assigned using the Source Data, and there are 139 different postal town references currently in use."

"Postal district" sometimes means district of a head post office, sometimes that of a sub-post-office, sometimes something else.

Queries

Which sense do the following use:

• A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland

Chronological notes

I wonder if "sorting office" vs "post office" is same distinction as "head post office" vs "sub-post office".

By 1897 an extensive system of Head-Post Offices, which were manned by official Departmental Staff, and Sub-Post Offices, which were run by Sub-Postmasters, had been established and in that year the delivery of mails was extended to all places in Great Britain and Ireland. There were about 70 Head-Post Offices and 2,600 Sub-Post Offices in Ireland at that time.

(1973 change but old way may predate 1921?)

In 1973 the post office in Northern Ireland made the controversial decision to implement a system for the modernization of postal deliveries that had a particularly significant impact in rural areas. In order to use the newly-devised post code system, rural roads were named and houses allotted numbers along them. The person's name, house or farm name, townland name, and parish as basis of address were replaced by a house number, road name and nearest postal town.

1920/1961:

2. The pay of the grades concerned is differentiated by reference to the classification of the Post Office in which they are employed. Prior to 1920 there were five classes of office outside London. Classification was determined primarily by reference to the volume of business in the Office as expressed in units of work and modified where local cost of living was a special factor. In 1920 these five classes were reduced to three by placing without reference to units of work or cost of living, all former class III offices in class II and all former class IV and class V offices in class III. Apart from some individual offices raised to a higher class the 1920 constitution of the three classes has not been changed since and is as follows:-

Class I: Dublin,

Class II: Dún Laoghaire, Blackrock (Co. Dublin), Bray, Cork, Cóbh, Limerick, Waterford and certain Dublin sub-offices,

Class III: All other offices.

5. The system of classification was originally based on the volume of work in the different offices and the local cost of living. It could no longer be justified on either ground. Close supervision and periodic inspection of the work of all postal districts ensured that staffing was related to the duties arising.

1938-03-30 "we are quite satisfied to allow about 300 rural postal districts to get their letters on three days per week instead of every day"

1946 1958-06-12 Written Answers. - State-sponsored Companies, Commissions, Committees and Advisory Councils

2. The Commission on Place Names was appointed on 24th October, 1946, to advise in relation to:—

(1) the examination of the place names of Ireland as follows:—

(a) the names of townlands, parishes, baronies, districts and other divisions of the country;

(b) the names of postal districts, villages, towns and cities;

1948-04-15

• Q "applications for telephones which are outstanding in each of the postal districts of Wexford, New Ross, Enniscorthy and Gorey"
• A "the areas served by the exchanges at Wexford, New Ross, Enniscorthy and Gorey"

1949-12-15

• Q asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will name the villages and towns of North County Dublin which are included in the Balbriggan employment exchange area, and whether he will indicate the number of persons now registered as unemployed who reside in the postal district of Balbriggan
• A The local office of my Department at Balbriggan serves the town of Balbriggan and the census towns of Donabate, Garristown, Naul, Loughshinny, Lusk, Rush, Skerries and Swords in North County Dublin. Particulars of the number of persons registered as unemployed who reside in the postal district of Balbriggan are not readily available, but the following particulars may meet the Deputy's requirements. The numbers of persons by district electoral division resident in North County Dublin, who were registered at Balbriggan local office

  (table includes Balbriggan Urban, Balbriggan Rural, et al)

1950-04-25 "whether the three officers recently promoted from overseer to assistant-superintendent grade in the Dublin Postal District were the No. 1 nominees of the Controller, Dublin Postal District"

1950-11-15

• Q "the number of postal districts in North Kerry where daily delivery of mails is not being given, and in how many of these districts it is proposed to provide a daily service"
• A "37 postmen's routes in North Kerry on which a daily delivery is not afforded. It is not possible to indicate at present when the survey of the Tralee postal district will be undertaken"

1951-06-20

• new services were introduced in the Gorey, Birr, Wicklow and Tullamore districts. The Nenagh postal district has also been revised and it is hoped to introduce new services there at a fairly early date. Revisions or partial revisions of eight other head office districts"
• In the past few years the Cork postal district has gained the advantage of a daily delivery of mails. People in many remote areas were handicapped ... I am anxious that, at the earliest moment, a system of daily delivery will apply in the Bandon postal district.

1951-07-18 The services in those areas of the Swinford-Kilasser postal districts which have a restricted frequency of delivery are at present operated at a loss. With the existing organisation of the services it would not be possible to increase the frequency without adding substantially to the loss. The provision of increased frequency will, however, be considered when the services in the Claremorris district are being examined in accordance with the Department's plans for the reorganisation of postal services generally throughout the country

1952-03-19 Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Waterford Postal Districts "I regret that it is not possible to say when the reorganisation of the postal services in the Waterford head office area will be undertaken. When it is, the question of affording a daily delivery to those districts which at present have not this facility will be considered."

1952-05-27

• asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state why the postal delivery for the townland of Lough Eske has been changed to Barnesmore sub-post office, County Donegal, thereby causing a considerable delay in the delivery of Dublin mail in the area.
• The transfer of Lough Eske from the Donegal postal district to Barnesmore is an essential part of a general scheme for the provision of daily deliveries in the Donegal area [including Barnesmore] which is due to be implemented next month.

1953-05-01

• [OJ Flanagan] During the past year the Department of Posts and Telegraphs has altered addresses in connection with a scheme of reorganisation of postal services and in altering these addresses they have caused not alone considerable inconvenience but a great deal of annoyance and confusion. I had to raise this matter here by way of parliamentary question some weeks ago because of the inconvenience and annoyance caused in parts of Offaly. People living close to Tullamore do not know from their correspondence whether they are in Tullamore, Birr, Edenderry or Daingean. I do not know who advised the Minister on this matter or where he secured his information but it is ridiculous that the postal district for Rhode, which is only four miles from Edenderry, should now be Tullamore considering that Tullamore is 20 miles from Rhode. Obviously the address should be Rhode, Offaly, or Rhode, Edenderry. Possibly under this scheme of reorganisation correspondence may be delivered somewhat more quickly but people who are calling to these places and who are following the postal address find that if they visit Tullamorelooking for Rhode they still have something like 20 miles to travel before they get there. I think that is absolutely ridiculous.
• {Minister Cogan] It is foolish for people like Deputy O. Flanagan to condemn reorganisation of Post Office areas. One must aim at a higher standard of efficiency. The picture of the Land Commission inspector travelling 30 or 40 miles out of his way looking for a particular village would seem to indicate that Land Commission inspectors do not use road maps. I do not think that that is the position.

1955-05-05

• Q all districts of West Cork'
• A I assume that the Deputy has in mind the townlands in the Bandon and Bantry Head Office Postal Districts

1955-07-05 Written Answers. - Postal Service Reorganisation. lists 54 "postal districts", which is implicitly complete, though excluding Dublin:

Athlone, Ballina, Ballinasloe, Bandon, Bantry, Birr, Boyle, Bray, Cahir, Camp, Carlow, Carrick-on-Shannon, Castlebar, Castlerea, Cavan, Ceanannus Mór, Claremorris, Clonmel, Cork, Curragh, Donegal, Drogheda, Dundalk, Ennis, Enniscorthy, Galway, Gorey, Kilkenny, Killarney, Kilmallock, Letterkenny, Lifford, Limerick, Longford, Mallow, Monaghan, Mullingar, Naas, Nenagh, Portlaoise, Roscommon, Roscrea, Skibbereen, Sligo, Thurles, Tipperary, Tralee, Tuam, Tullamore, An Uaimh, Waterford, Westport, Wexford, Wicklow

1956-02-22 "Restricted postal deliveries are given on 14 rural posts in the Castlebar head office district, namely, four working from Castlebar, two from Turlough sub-office, two from Burren sub-office, and one each from Ballyhean sub-office, Belcarra sub-office, Glenisland sub-office, Manulla sub-office, Derryvohy sub-office and Lughaphuill letter box."

1956-07-26

• Q asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will arrange for a daily postal delivery for the districts of Loughane, Ballybann and Newbridge which are situated in the Askeaton postal district, County Limerick.
• A As part of a general reorganisation of postal services in the Limerick Head Office District, which is in hands, a daily postal delivery will be provided in the areas mentioned by the Deputy.

1956-12-06

• Q the Loughane, Ballybann and Newbridge areas, which are situated in the Askeaton postal district; and when the reorganisation of postal services in the Limerick head office district
• A in the Limerick head office district ... to provide a daily delivery in the townlands in the Askeaton area mentioned by the Deputy.

c.1960: I wonder if the campaign for including sort towns in address was simultaneous with and linked to the introduction of numbered Dublin postal districts.

Dublin postal districts 1961

Number	Old delivery area name
1	Pearse St (north)
2	Pearse St (south)
3	Fairview
4	Ballsbridge
5	Killester (Whitehall pending new sorting office)
6	Rathmines
7	Phibsborough
8	James's Street
9	Whitehall
10	Ballyfermot
11	Finglas (Phibsborough pending new sorting office)
12	Crumlin
13	— (unused)
14	Churchtown

1961-02-23 "The Dublin Postal District numbers will, where applicable, be included in Part I of the next issue of the Telephone Directory in respect of new and changed entries. It is not proposed to incorporate the postal district numbers in all the existing entries for Dublin city in Part I pending a complete reset of the Directory which in normal course will not be undertaken until after the 1963 issue."

1961-05-17 Dáil Éireann debate — Committee on Finance. - Vote 46—Posts and Telegraphs

• The new postal address numbering scheme for Dublin city and suburbs which was introduced in January last has met with a gratifyingly favourable response
• Local authorities and others complain bitterly of the linking up of a number of towns in addresses. For example, the address of a person living in Abbeyleix—Deputy Maher will bear me out in this—the address is "Abbeyleix, Portlaoise". In Mountrath it is "Mountrath, Portlaoise", though Mountrath is some 12 miles distant from Portlaoise. The same situation applies in the case of Croghan, Tullamore, even though Croghan is 14 to 20 miles from Tullamore. A number of small towns feel they are losing their individuality and their identity because of the Post Office pushing addresses on to them which they are unwilling to accept and which they do not require. I know that there is no obligation on those people to use those addresses but the Post Office authorities tell us that if we want to make sure of our deliveries they should be used.

1962-03-22 dail Questions. Oral Answers. - Donegal Postal Address System.

• Paddy Harte: the recent exhortation to use complete postal addresses, including the appropriate post town... I should like to point out that in Donegal you have Narin and Portnoo golf clubs, addressed "Lifford". You have Ballyliffin golf club also addressed "Lifford" and they are almost 100 miles apart.
• Michael Hilliard: I am aware that the Department introduced into the whole country over some years past a method of sorting letters in local areas by designating certain offices as sorting offices and it is the proper system through which delivery of letters can be expeditiously obtained.

1962-03-29

• By now 46 per cent of mail posted in Dublin for delivery there bears the district number and the overall figure for local, domestic and foreign mail delivered there is 42 per cent.
• I believe the new system of numbering the Dublin postal districts is a good idea and is working very well. I was intrigued to hear Deputy Dillon say he did not know how it worked. I assumed that everybody knew that by attaching the number of the postal district to the address, it saved a lot of sorting work and certainly helped in the delivery of letters. In the country areas, however, something else has happened. A change has been made in the postal addresses there. This is an entirely different matter from the case in the city. This has improved the postal services in many areas but it has brought about a shockingly bad position in other areas.

  There is one case I should like to refer to. The address of a certain person in County Meath was Woodtown, Drumconrath, Ardee. Woodtown, Ardee, is three miles away from Ardee. The new address was Woodtown, Drumconrath, Navan, which is a distance of 24 or 25 miles away from Navan. It took letters three or four days to go out to this person's place, whereas formerly it took only one day. There is another aspect to this. People travelling around the country tend to go by postal addresses. If a person in Drogheda is told that somebody's address is Woodtown, Drumconrath, Navan, and goes over to Navan to find him, he discovers he has just left a place within a few miles of where the person lives. That is something that has caused a lot of confusion. Travelling around the country we find we are miles away from where we wanted to go, and there is nothing we can do about it but retrace our steps. I do not know whether the Minister can do anything about this matter, but if he can, I should like him to deal with it.

1962-04-03 [1]

• the change of the address system. I do not know whether it is general but in my county we have changed our postal address system. Long ago if you addressed a letter to Burtonport, Co. Donegal or any other town in Donegal it was delivered in time but now for some reason unknown to me you must put "Burtonport, Letterkenny", "Dungloe, Letterkenny", "Buncrana, Lifford", and so on. This is causing a considerable amount of damage and inconvenience to our tourist industry. ... If we must have this change, which I understand is purely for the convenience of the sorter, why not give numerical appellations, say, "Burtonport, Co. Donegal 1"; "Glenties, Donegal 2" and if necessary divide up the area numerically? In that way the sorter, after a very short period, will be able to clear matters up. I have met the Minister personally on this matter and have tried to put my point of view to him. He explained to me that his officials find difficulty in adopting the scheme which I have suggested.

1962-05-17 [2]

• asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware that in cases where Lifford is put in the address of letters, in order to comply with the new postal regulations, the letters still go to (or via) Donegal town;
• The number of instances where fully-addressed letters for the Lifford postal area are miscirculated to Donegal Post Office is very small and represents only about 1 per 10,000 items delivered in that postal area.

1963-04-04 https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1963-04-04/39/

• if one is addressing a letter to County Donegal, he must put in the postal address the names of one of the three sorting offices, Letterkenny, Lifford or Donegal town. The Lifford office has 53 sub-offices, the Letterkenny office has 38 and Donegal has 25. There are seven local offices which have opted to take a direct service from Dublin. I am told that this is being done only in County Donegal. As you well know, Sir, this regulation was introduced some 12 months ago. Prior to that date, if you addressed a letter to one of your constituents and put the sub-office address on it, without the address of one of the main offices, that letter reached the constituent the following day. Twelve months ago, a new regulation was brought in, or an old one was re-introduced—I just cannot work it

1964-04-16

• Beechpark Road is at present in the Blackrock delivery district but will shortly be transferred to the Foxrock district as a result of a revision of delivery services in the area. Individual householders whose postal address will be changed will be notified in advance.
• Is the Minister aware that letters addressed to Beechpark in Blackrock have had the word "Blackrock" crossed out and the word "Foxrock" written in by the postal authorities, and that this, apparently, caused several weeks' delay in the delivery of some postal packages, and that the reverse has also occurred? Can the Minister give any indication as to when this confusion will be cleared up?
• In reply to the Deputy's question, I have told him that Beechpark Road is at present in Blackrock delivery district and if a Post Office official makes a change that is incorrect, I will have the matter investigated if the Deputy will give me particulars.

[3]

• The use of Dublin postal district numbers continues to grow. Sixty-six per cent of mail originating in Dublin for delivery there now bears a district number and the overall figure for local, domestic and foreign mail delivered in Dublin is 61 per cent.
• During 1963 ... a new district sorting office at Finglas has been completed.

1964-04-29

• One appreciates the purpose of introducing the postal district numbering system, which is to expedite sorting, but it should not be used as a justification for deliberately delaying, mislaying or setting aside correspondence which does not bear a district number, particularly as the Department has not yet furnished in the telephone directory, which is a handy book of reference, district numbers for all entries in that directory.

1965-07-21 Committee on Finance - Vote 42—Posts and Telegraphs

1965-07-21 Committee on Finance. - Vote 42—Posts and Telegraphs (Resumed)

• I have discussed this with Post Office officials and I feel that a serial code, the same as in the city of Dublin, of 1, 2 and 3 to cover Donegal town, Letterkenny and Lifford would be more of a guide to tourists and to people who do not know the geography of Donegal as well as the natives of the county
• That is bad enough but there is a worse situation ... Arigna is in Co. Roscommon. The postal address is Arigna, Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim.
• deliberate punishment inflicted by the Department on those who omit district numbers
• Some time ago in Donegal a number of sorting officers [recte offices?] were appointed to ensure that every area would get quick delivery That necessitates using the name of the town for that particular area. ... It applies all over the country. People are perfectly well aware that the sorting office address as indicated on the envelope is not just the next door town they were going to. ... It is the first time I ever heard a complaint about it
• does the Minister agree that it is appropriate to have such an address as Arranmore Island, Letterkenny?
• It is via Letterkenny. That is the simplest thing to put on an envelope.

In 1965 there were "some 2,180 Sub-Post Offices in the State".

1967-05-16 "The question of extending the numbering scheme is being examined."

1971-02-25 In the 1971 Telephone Directory the new style numbering was extended to include all automatic areas equipped for subscriber trunk dialling—STD. New style entries are shown with the STD code in brackets before the number in lieu of the former exchange name in the same way as the "01" area numbers listed in Part II of the 1970 issue. The addresses of many of the subscribers concerned were amplified in the directory listing for identification purposes when the exchange names were replaced by STD codes. The new style numbering will facilitate and encourage the use of direct dialling facilities.

1971-03-23 "consultative council in the Dublin postal district ... has been in operation for over a year now"

1973-11-15 "the welfare service of the Department of Justice, which looks after all offenders in the community, is being very rapidly expanded. Last year there were 20 welfare officers, this year there are 46 and next year it is hoped to have 70 Department of Justice welfare officers. These officers are based in localities—in the case of Dublin they are based in the postal districts"

1974-06-27 Can the Minister state if at some future date the Department will issue a new postal district map of Dublin?

1974-11-14

• Q asked the Minister for Justice the names and addresses of peace commissioners in number seven and number eleven postal districts, i.e. Cabra, Finglas and Arran Quay wards, Dublin.
• A The names and addresses of peace commissioners are recorded by reference to the Garda district in which the peace commissioners reside. The names and addresses of peace commissioners in the Cabra, Ballymun, Finglas, and Bridewell Garda districts, which correspond broadly with the two postal districts referred to

1975-11-06 "asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will issue an up-to-date alphabetical street guide with postal district numbers / expected to be issued early in the new year"

1978-12-14 "As the location of the office will have a bearing on the settling of the boundaries of the postal districts in the area, a district number will not be allocated to Firhouse until a site has been obtained."

1980; authorised number of Postal Service Departmental Grades; those with "District" in the title: Controller Dublin Postal District (1); Assistant Controllers Dublin Postal District (4); Head Postmaster Class I (1) Class II (3) Class IV (14) Class IV (16) Class V (17); District Postmasters, Class VI (A & B) (36).

1981-03-12 "Churchtown postal district" — implies not a numbered district?

In 1981 a planning notice published in a newspaper referring simply to "Leixlip Gate, Co. Kildare" was ruled insufficient; would have sufficed to insert Castletown Estate ["well known"] or Celbridge [post town] or Kilmacraddock Upper [townland].

1982-04-28 "Extension of the Dublin District numbering scheme to include Clondalkin, Ronanstown, Clonsilla, Blanchardstown, Castleknock and Tallaght is under consideration but there are no plans at present to extend the scheme to Lucan or other parts of County Dublin. "

1983-04-26 There would, however, be no advantage in extending the scheme to purely rural areas. Dún Laoghaire Borough and parts of County Dublin are served by Dún Laoghaire Head Post Office district. The advantage or otherwise of these being included in the system of numbered postal districts is being considered.

1983-07-07 For control and operational purposes delivery areas are attached to particular head post office districts or to the Dublin postal district, which do not necessarily coincide with local authority administration boundaries.

1984 [emphasis added]:

The Market Research Bureau of Ireland was commissioned to survey the quality of our internal first class letter service. ... 91.4% of full rate (26p letters) which are correctly addressed are delivered on the working day after they are posted. ... The survey also highlighted the important role that customers can play by using the correct postal address, including district number or post town, to speed delivery.

1985 "Extension of numbering system":

(a) Dublin

The most recent additions to the Dublin Postal Districts numbering system area are:

• Number "16" Ballinteer/Whitechurch
• Number "18" Foxrock
• Number "22" Clondalkin
• Number "24" Tallaght
• Number "15" Blanchardstown
• Number "17" Clonshaugh

(b) Cork

We are informed that it is hoped to introduce a numbering system in the Cork area in late 1986.

2006 National Postcode Project:

The Postal Town option was never identified as the preferred option because it is perceived to offer the poorest characteristics of the Fixed Grid and Postal Sector options and this option is:

• Unstable as the Postal Town boundaries could be subject to change;
• Does not consider geographical features and boundaries

2010 Oireachtas postcodes report:

For example, we welcome the emphasis put on reports already published, that the names of a townland, parish or county would not be interfered with and that the use of different names (including road names in rural areas) would not be required for the convenience of any operator - or indeed for the design of the system of postcodes itself.

That the familiar and well used form of addresses is retained — i.e. townland, county, Dublin area number — to help an easy changeover and to pre-empt unnecessary disputes about area names or numbers.

2014-11-19 joint_committee_on_transport_and_communications National Postcode System: Discussion

• Chairman (John O'Mahony): Letters to some parts of County Mayo are not being delivered on the basis that they are wrongly addressed. People are being told that they should write "County Roscommon" on their letters. Will the Eircode system solve this problem?
• Noel Harrington Equally, we had a situation where the delivery address was Castletownbere, Bantry. That was the correct postal address, but it was 35 miles from the Bantry area. Visitors come to Bantry, get off a bus and look for Castletownbere. The local community decided arbitrarily to strike Bantry from the address, which helped the tourism sector. They decided they would simply use Castletownbere, County Cork. It worked fine for that purpose, but it made deliveries a bit of an issue.

But 2016 not all sorting is at "sorting offices":

“Postmasters get a payment from An Post for allowing postmen sort the local post in the post office and depending on the number of postmen, you could get paid between €5,000 and €8,000,” he said.

More than 20 postmen have been sorting mail in Boherbue rather than, as before, in post offices in Kiskeam, Ballydesmond and Rockchapel.

Perhaps post goes (1) sorting office → (2) subpostoffice → (3) postpersons's route with sorting at both stages 1→2 and 2→3.

Some sorting offices have closed due to decline in letters; also separation of parcel and letter sorting offices.

2015: "Non-Unique Addresses ... include [inter alia] addresses that usually contain only a townland and county as an address identifier."

Eircode implementation:

• GeoDirectory is a database of business and residential addresses established in 1995 and maintained by An Post and Ordnance Survey Ireland.
• Capita Business Support Services Ireland Limited was in 2013 awarded a 10-year postcode management licence under the Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Act 2011 by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
• "When an address is added to GeoDirectory, Capita is informed (of the address, the post town and the geo-coordinates) and the postcode for that address is assigned. The address, post town, GeoDirectory ID and postcode are then added to the Eircode database."

2015:

The “official” registry of addresses maintained by the postal service is the GeoDirectory, which attempts to impose a structure on addresses. Each system uses the Central Statistical Office/Ordnance Survey of Ireland address system, it is in 4 parts:

• Building no./street/locality, townland/town, town/county, county
• For example: Teagasc Research Centre, Malahide Rd, Kinsealy, Co. Dublin

However examples of common alternate address forms for the same location include:

• Teagasc, Kinsealy, Malahide, Co. Dublin
• Teagasc, Kinsaley, Malahide, Co. Dublin
• Teagasc, Malahide, Co. Dublin
• Teagasc, Mullach Ide, Baile Atha Cliath [Irish version]

All of these addresses are “official” and correct. On top of these official variations there are accidental misspellings, colloquial alternative spellings and reversals:

• Tegasc, Kinsealy, Malahaide, Co. Dublin
• Teagasc, Malahide, Kinsealy, Co Dublin

These addresses are also “correct” in that letters addressed so would reach their intended destination. In fact one has to be careful in trying to “correct” addresses.

Another issue relates to the fact that in rural areas, an address may use the closest town, but because the location is over the border in a neighbouring county, may utilise a county that is different to that of the town. With that proviso a more formalised addressing system would be useful and the GeoDirectory attempted to provide this.

Standards

c.2010 FRANK'S COMPULSIVE GUIDE TO POSTAL ADDRESSES § IRELAND "THIS ENTIRE SECTION IS (mostly) OBSOLETE". References:

• http://www.upu.int/post_code/en/countries/IRL.pdf
  • 20031127072736 archived version:

    A standard address is in the following format:

    line 1 addressee name

    line 2 house number, or name if it has no number, and street name, if applicable

    line 3 locality name

    line 4 name of postal town and delivery sector, if any

    line 5 name of county, unless identical to name of town

    line 6 name of country

  • 20090318181748
  • 20110626164640
  • 20150803020621

    A standard address is in the following format:

    – line 1: name of addressee;

    – line 2: name of organization;

    – line 3: house number, or name if house has no number, and street name, if applicable;

    – line 4: name of locality;

    – line 5: name of postal town and district for Dublin, if any;

    – line 6: name of county (unless identical to name of town);

    – line 7: name of country

• http://www.iol.ie/~discover/mail.htm
  • 20171106094710 updated 2008, inferior to UPU

    Irish mailing addresses are composed of the following elements:

    Company or individual's name

    House name (where applicable)

    Street Address (including house number where applicable)

    Town (prefix the town with "IE" if item is mailed within Europe)

    County (not required for cities or county towns)

    IRELAND (not required where town name is prefixed with "IE" and item is mailed within Europe)

The EU mandates that national standards authorities adopt many uniform standards, some developed by international bodies. The 2015 Eircode specification says "The term ‘Postal Address’ always refers to a delivery address as defined by Irish Standard - I.S. EN 14142-1:2011 (Postal services. Address databases), as operated by the Universal Service Provider, An Post"

• Comité Européen de Normalisation standard number EN 14142 was for "Postal services - Address databases", within which EN 14142-1 was "Part 1: Components of postal addresses". The first version was in 2003, the last in 2011.
  • The National Standards Authority of Ireland adopted I.S. EN 14142-1:2003 on 05-Feb-2003 and I.S. EN 14142-1:2011 on 10-Aug-2011.
• The International Organization for Standardization ISO 19160 "Addressing" superseded EN 14142, within which EN 14142-1 was superseded by ISO 19160-4 "Part 4: International postal address components and template language".
  • NSAI adopted EN ISO 19160-4:2017 on 13-Dec-2017

Postal counties controversy

(Some instances above, as well as those that follow here.)

1970s: "The [UK] Post Office, with a surprising knowledge of human nature, states that 'If for any reason you have a strong objection to an association with the Post Town, you may prefer to prefix it with the word "Via"'"

2011 quibble whether that legal documents had been served; High Court pooh-poohed, 2017 Appeal court overruled:

Moneygall is a small village whose environs, if not the village itself, straddle Tipperary and Offaly, the judge said.

It “defies belief” post addressed to Moneygall, Co Offaly, would not, and did not, arrive at Moneygall, Co Tipperary, he [High Court, Mr Justice Max Barrett] also said.

Given the importance of ensuring proper service of legal documents, particularly when a default judgment is sought, the court “must err on the side of caution”, he [appeal court Justice Gerard Hogan] said.

OTOH I doubt Moneygall was a post town; unless post Town also in address then case not germane to this issue.

2013 Parteen is in County Clare but Limerick is post town:

The sticker stated, "important – delay caused by ‘incorrect’ postal address, please let your correspondents know your correct postal address as indicated opposite" with an arrow pointing to Limerick instead of Clare. ... some residents write ‘Parteen near Limerick’ or ‘via Limerick’ on their postal address to help them get mail quicker. ... He said people’s affiliation with their county is sacrosanct and felt it was wrong of An Post to move the county boundary.

An Post spokeswoman Anna McHugh explained a person’s post town may be across a county boundary and stated the correct postal address should include the name of the mail delivery office serving the customer. “We have to admit that we haven’t always enforced the rules around postal addressing but, in recent years, it is a priority for us.["]

2014 if the post town is a city then the address should not include "County", even if the final destination is in the county rather than the city.

the last line ought to be written as ‘Galway’ (Gaillimh) – as in it is delivered from Galway City, and not County Galway (Co na Gaillimhe) as that mail is routed elsewhere

Spillover to Eircode:

Letters published in The Irish Times in the weeks after Eircode's launch complained of addresses being listed in the wrong place or even the wrong county. One writer complained that his Leixlip home was listed as being in Naas. Shannon Airport, meanwhile, is said to be Co Limerick, rather than Co Clare.

"No one has changed the location of Shannon Airport," says Angus Laverty of An Post. The airport's post comes from Limerick, its post town, and this is why it is in the postal address. "We haven't shifted the county boundaries," he says.

"Addresses in Bealnamulla, Monksland, Creagh and Brideswell all listed as Athlone, Co. Westmeath, instead of Co. Roscommon. ... addresses in Dysart, Taughmaconnell and Ballyforan are listed as being in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, instead of Co. Roscommon. ... Numerous Co. Galway addresses are actually listed as being in Castlerea, Co. Roscommon."

"Concerns were raised when homes in Urlingford, Johnstown and other border areas received their new post codes this week. The county line in their address was Kilkenny but on the Eircode documentation was Tipperary."

Brian Hayes and Eircom spokesperson:

The reason some addresses are showing with the ‘wrong’ county is that Eircodes are based on the existing An Post sorting system. In a small number of instances, the An Post sorting office is in a different county to the address. This has been the case for years and nothing has changed with the new system.

Sources

• Commission of Inquiry into certain aspects of the Sub-Post Office system (June 1965). Report (PDF). Dublin: Department of Posts and Telegraphs. p. 4. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
• Comptroller and Auditor General (September 2015). "13. The Development of Eircode, the National Postcode System" (PDF). Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2014. Dublin. Retrieved 17 August 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Corrib Oil Company Ltd -v- Murray [2017] IECA 102 (29 March 2017)
• Eircode (August 2015). Code of Practice (PDF) (3 ed.). Retrieved 19 August 2022.
• Ferguson, Stephen (26 July 2018). The Post Office in Ireland: An Illustrated History. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-78855-054-3.
• Joint Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (2010). "The postcodes report (revised)" (PDF). Oireachtas. Retrieved 17 August 2022.