Postman John delivers his last letter

Fifty one plus years is a mighty long time and it represents the career longevity of esteemed Belturbet Postman, John Fitzpatrick, who retired last week.

All his colleagues assembled at 7.30am last Tuesday morning, May 29, to say farewell and wish him all the best in his retirement.
The regional manager from An Post, Andrew Murphy, was also on hand to make a special presentation to the man of the people, who had also worked out of Cavan Post Office for 10 years.
Little did John know back on Saturday, July 16, 1966, when Galway were going in pursuit of their third All-Ireland in a row, that all these years later, he would be saying farewell to the career he enjoyed.
He started as a junior Postman/Telegram Boy at the tender age of 14 years and there was one van attached to the Post Office in Belturbet at that time. It was driven by the late Paddy Donnelly. The four other Postmen, all gone to their eternal reward rest, were: Tommy and Willie Laurence, Paddy Kelly and Hugh Fitzpatrick. They used bicycles.
John recalls that Sean Reynolds at that time was the cleaner, holiday reserve and operated the telephone in the evenings. As there was no automatic phones at that time, the switch had to be operated 24/7.
Frank Connolly was the overnight operator and Theresa Prior from Swanlinbar was the operator during the day. The late Leonard McGovern was the postmaster and Seamus Minogue, Paddy Corrigan and Frank Milner from Clare, were the clerks.
Post and Telegrams then were delivered six days a week and for one hour on Sundays and Christmas day.
The Belturbet Post Office was opened to the public in 1904 and, until the formation of the Irish Free State in 1922, mail was delivered into County Fermanagh – Teemore area.
John said the late Charlie Tully delivered the mail to this area and also worked a horse for the post.
“At the rear of the Post Office there was a stable, complete with fireplace and chimney, to keep the horse/horses warm and perhaps was used by the farrier/blacksmith,” he recalled.
It was, in 1970, aged 18 years, that John transferred to Cavan to work as a postman in the Old Post Office at Church Stree.
“I returned to Belturbet, from where I delivered mail in the Cloverhill and Redhills area. In September, 2006, the Retail (counters) transferred to Gilbride’s Shop on the Diamond and, as a result, the old Post Office now became a District Sorting Office (DCO) covering an area from Blackrocks near Glangevlin to Trehoo Cross, which is halfway to Cootehill.
“I got the job of managing this office, while still continuing to deliver mail in the Redhills area only.
In 2013, Postal Operatives from Ballyconnell and Swanlinbar were brought into Belturbet, to operate from the DSU and, later still, Killeshandra also became part of the Belturbet Office. There are now 12 posts delivered from this Office,” said John.
John said that at the rear of the Post Office there is a Telephone Exchange and there is also a 20-foot deep well.
“The job of pumping up the water to a tank in the roof space, fell to the cleaner, who would stop pumping, when the water appeared from an overflow pipe, protruding out of a wall, high up under the rear gable,” John also remembers.
He concluded by telling the Celt, that legend has it that the first telegram delivered from the new Office in 1904 was by John (Shelly) Moran and it went to Berry’s at Riversdale, Belturbet.