The Government will be called upon on to recognise the social value of the Post Office network later today.
The issue will be top of the agenda at the Irish Postmasters' Union (IPU) annual conference, which opens in Mullingar.
In the past seven years, more than 340 post offices have closed across the country. The IPU represents some 1,100 postmasters across the country.
IPU General Secretary John Kane, the Archbishop of Cashel, Dermot Clifford, and the President of the St Vincent de Paul, Mairéad Bushnell, will join members in calling on politicians to recognise the social value of its branches.
Tomorrow, members will launch its position paper on Future of the Post Office Network. It will set out the issues facing the Post Office Network and steps which need to be taken to protect the long term development of tje .