Behind the fact that Bank of Ireland branches around the country are closing their doors in unison and for a final time this evening, there is sadness at the loss of an institution with a 143 year association with Castleisland as National Bank and Bank of Ireland.
Staff members spoke of bonds and friendships made here for a portion of their working lives and customers will miss the faces and the people behind them with whom they also made friends.
Local businessman Shane McAuliffe is never behind the door when it comes to expressing himself or his feelings.
This week he did it with flowers and an emotional BoI staff member, Caitriona McCarthy accepted on behalf of the staff of the immediate past and those of years gone by.
“I had to express my own personal thanks to the staff who were always there when they were needed no matter what,” said Shane as he said it all with the beautifully presented bouquet.
Life for the building at No. 44 Main Street, after its financial stint of a century and a half ended today, is a matter for another day.
Bank of Ireland Statement
In the meantime, Bank of Ireland issued a statement to The Maine Valley Post this evening and it is as follows:
“The decision to close branches was not taken lightly and followed a very thorough analysis and review of our services which included branch usage, the growth in online banking, and the range of services we can offer through the post office network.
Like many other companies with a large number of retail locations, and like banks across the globe, we had to change our branch services to better reflect how people are banking today.
Moving from Cash to Cards
Customers have been moving away from cash to cards and digital banking, and this has rapidly accelerated in recent years, even before the pandemic. Customers are also choosing ‘cashback’ – where they take the opportunity to get cash back in shops when making purchases – and there are also an increasing number of businesses, including taxis, now taking card payments.
Our new partnership with An Post means customers can now access a broad range of local banking services, both in locations where a branch is closing and also in a large number of communities where there is no Bank of Ireland branch currently.
169 Branches Nationwide
Bank of Ireland will continue to operate 169 branches nationwide, and combined with the post office network our customers will be able to bank at more than 1,000 locations across the country.
In terms of advice to customers, there is no requirement to transfer to an alternative branch; customers can do their banking at any Bank of Ireland branch, regardless of where their account is held, and they do not have to make any changes in order to be able to avail of services at An Post locations.
Carry On as Before
Customers will keep their existing account number, sort code and IBAN.
They can continue to use their debit card, ATM card and cheque book and any standing orders and direct debits will carry on as before.
Customers can also bank over the phone, on the internet and using our mobile banking app.”
You can contact The Maine Valley Post on…Anyone in The Maine Valley Post catchment area who would like to send us news and captioned photographs for inclusion can send them to: jreidy@mainevalleypost.com Queries about advertising and any other matters regarding The Maine Valley Post can also be sent to that address or just ring: 087 23 59 467.
