| An Post ends St. Patrick’s
Day cards IRISH people in Britain will be receiving fewer St.
Patrick’s Day cards from Ireland this year.
It was revealed last week that An Post are scrapping their traditional
St. Patrick’s Day cards due to lack of interest.
Introduced in 1984 to bring a little piece of home to far-flung emigrants,
sales have dropped in recent years.
A spokeswoman described the move as “a sign of the times”
as large-scale emigration had ended and Ireland was now experiencing immigration.
An Post will instead focus on its core business and will be encouraging
posting among immigrant communities on their own national days of celebration.
She said: “We introduced the cards in 1984 at a time when emigration
was very high in Ireland. Sales and distribution followed the emigrant
trail at the time.
“Over the 1990s and since 2000, there has been a very definite and
steady decline in sales. An Post is not in the card business but this
was our annual foray into greeting cards. It’s a commercial decision.
“In recent years, sales in no way cover the outlay of production
costs, marketing and distribution to upwards of 1,400 post offices around
the country,” she explained.
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