Mrs Nora Hynes was the much-loved Postmistress in Abbey from 1952 until her retirement in 2003.  Nora gave an outstanding service to the local community and this was evident in the tributes that were paid to her at a function in Abbey Community Centre to mark her retirement.  Sadly, her retirement also marked the closure of yet another rural Post Office in the country and Abbey no longer has a full Post Office service.

On the 31st May 2015, it was my pleasure to interview Nora and to find out what life in the Post Office was like in the 1950s when she first came to Abbey.

It was a time when no one had a phone and people depended on the local Post Office to communicate with family, friends or businesses throughout the country.  You will hear from Nora that it was 1986 before telephoning became automatic.  Today it is rare to meet with someone who does not own a phone!

You can learn more about the history of the post office in this short video/audio piece from Frances Holohan of Abbey Heritage and further information on our Abbey Heritage archive website – Brief History of Abbey Post Office – Abbey and District Heritage