The closure of rural post offices was "devastating" for elderly people in isolated communities and should become an election issue, Muintir Na Tíre's president, Margaret O'Doherty, told the voluntary organisation's annual conference in south Tipperary.
She told delegates: "Candidates of all political persuasions should be asked to spell out in clear terms where they stand on the future of sub-post offices."
Ms O'Doherty pointed out that under EU rules postal services were to be "liberalised" by 2009. This was expected to end government subsidies and to result in the closure of 500 "uneconomic" post offices. However, post offices were not simply a commercial proposition. They were service-providers and they needed continued funding. She added: "With the creamery and the Garda station gone, the post office is the last line of communication for many elderly people."
People had a special relationship with their postmasters, who "would know something was wrong if someone did not turn up to collect their pension".
The conference heard that rural post offices were closing at the rate of "one every 10 days". In Co Cork, "66 had closed since 2000".
Ms O'Doherty claimed that the Government was standing back and blaming Brussels, which was "not good enough in a country awash with money". She called on An Post to accept the principles of "social inclusion" and "public service" when planning for the future and said that financial assistance was needed to "computerise those sub-post offices which do not have a major throughput of business".
Father Seán Healy, director of the Conference of Religious of Ireland (Cori) Justice Commission, said that the issue also affected poor communities in urban areas, where there might not be enough business to sustain the local post office but closure would damage the social fabric.
Muintir Na Tíre, which "endeavours to represent the interests of local communities", operates a network of 1,500 community councils and community alert groups.