An Post
Ireland’s national postal service provider, offering mail, parcel, postal financial and post-office services.
Last updated October 6, 2026
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Overview
An Post is Ireland’s national postal service provider and is wholly owned by the Irish government. Established in 1984, it operates traditional letter collection and delivery services in Ireland, alongside parcel delivery, post-office services and financial services associated with its postal network. Its services are delivered through postal processing facilities, delivery operations and a network of post-office branches serving individuals, businesses and public-sector customers. As demand for physical letters has been affected by digital communications, the organisation has placed greater emphasis on parcels, e-commerce logistics and branch-based services, while continuing to provide core postal services. Its state ownership gives An Post both a commercial operating role and a public-service role within Ireland’s postal system.
History
Ireland’s postal system developed over several centuries before An Post became a corporate entity. A semi-formal postal service in Ireland is commonly associated with the appointment of Evan Vaughan as Dublin postmaster in 1638. The postal administration was later shaped by the English and British state, including the creation of a combined General Post Office for Ireland, Scotland and England under the 1657 Postal Act and its subsequent confirmation after the Restoration. Postal operations continued to evolve alongside the political history of Ireland and, after independence, became part of the infrastructure of the Irish state. For much of the twentieth century, postal services were administered by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. In the early years of the Irish Free State, that department was one of the largest state departments and its postal employees formed one of the largest groups within the civil service. The department managed not only mail but also telecommunications, making it a central institution in national administration and everyday commerce. The modern An Post was created in 1984 under the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983. The legislation divided the former department’s responsibilities between An Post, which took over postal services, and Telecom Éireann, which became the state telecommunications operator. This change gave An Post a commercial corporate structure while preserving the obligation to provide a universal postal service across Ireland. The company inherited the General Post Office in Dublin as a symbolic and operational centre, as well as an extensive network of local post offices and delivery routes. During its first decades, An Post remained primarily identified with letters, stamps, postmen and local post offices, but its activities broadened progressively. It operated parcel and express services, including Express Post for all-island next-day delivery and EMS for international express mail. It also developed counter-based services that allowed post offices to function as points for payments, banking transactions, mobile-phone top-ups, foreign exchange and public-service administration. PostPoint originated as a service for over-the-counter mobile-phone top-ups and later became part of the wider transaction-services business. An Post pursued several diversification initiatives in the 2000s. In 2003 it created An Post Transaction Services, branded PostTS, to manage post-office and transaction operations. The network was temporarily presented under a separate Post Office identity and banking services were introduced in cooperation with Allied Irish Banks. In 2005 and 2006, An Post sold its interests in foreign PostTS operations and related transaction businesses to Alphyra, reversing much of the earlier separate-branding approach. In 2006 it also agreed with Fortis to establish Postbank Ireland, a joint venture intended to offer current accounts, savings, insurance, mortgages and credit cards through the post-office network. The bank was later wound down, with closure completed by the end of 2010. The company also became involved in services beyond conventional delivery. Television-licence administration was assigned to An Post on behalf of the state, covering revenue collection, inspection and prosecution for non-payment. An Post operated a postbus route in County Clare between 1984 and 2004. It became involved in the National Lottery through a subsidiary until the operating licence moved to Premier Lotteries Ireland in 2014. GeoDirectory, established jointly with Ordnance Survey Ireland, created a national database of buildings and addresses with standardized address records and geocodes. These activities reflected the strategic value of the postal network as a trusted national distribution and transaction platform. The transition from physical letters to parcels and digital commerce has been the defining challenge of the twenty-first century. Letter volumes declined as email and online communication replaced many paper messages, while parcel demand grew with e-commerce. An Post expanded parcel services, international processing and customer tracking, and launched AddressPal in 2017 to support Irish online shoppers buying from United Kingdom and United States retailers. The service uses proxy addresses and forwarding arrangements to connect international online commerce with Irish delivery addresses. Addressing policy was another important development. The Irish government announced plans for a national postcode system in the 2000s, but implementation was delayed for many years. Eircode was introduced nationally on 13 July 2015. An Post had initially opposed or questioned the need for postcodes, partly because its delivery system operated without conventional street-level codes, but Eircode became an important reference for modern address validation and digital location services. Operational restructuring became increasingly visible as the company responded to changing volumes and costs. An Post remained one of Ireland’s major employers, but it underwent substantial downsizing and modernization. The closure of the Little Island sorting centre in Cork in 2020 illustrated the consolidation of processing infrastructure. In 2018 the company announced plans to close 159 post offices serving communities of fewer than 500 people, excluding offshore islands. The announcement generated political and community opposition because post offices often serve as essential local institutions in rural Ireland. Campaigns led to the retention of branches in Ballinskelligs, Cliffoney and Ballycroy. An Post refreshed its corporate identity during the late 2010s. The current logo was adopted on 14 December 2018 and first appeared publicly in March 2019. The rebrand sought to present the organization as a contemporary national service rather than solely a traditional postal administration. At the same time, individual branches continued to use Irish and English descriptions such as Oifig an Phoist and “Post Office.” The company’s more recent transformation has been organized around the Green Light strategy, which emphasizes financial stabilization, parcel and commerce growth, digital capability, operational efficiency, sustainability and the long-term viability of the universal service. An Post moved its corporate headquarters from the General Post Office on O’Connell Street to the EXO Building at North Wall Quay on 22 June 2023. The move separated the corporate headquarters from the historic public landmark while retaining the GPO’s importance in An Post’s heritage and customer network. By 2025, An Post reported its highest group revenue, EBITDA and cash reserves to date, according to its corporate announcement. The organization continues to combine commercial transformation with public obligations: it must compete in parcels and financial services, modernize its technology and delivery infrastructure, reduce environmental impact, and maintain nationwide access even where individual branches or traditional letter volumes are economically difficult to sustain. Its contemporary identity is therefore a hybrid of national postal operator, logistics company, retail network, digital address provider and state-linked service platform.
- 2025
Highest reported revenue, EBITDA and cash reserves
[5]An Post reported that 2025 produced the highest revenue, EBITDA and cash reserves in the group’s history, presenting the result as evidence of progress under its Green Light transformation strategy.
- 2023
Headquarters moves to North Wall Quay
[1]An Post moved its headquarters from the historic General Post Office to the EXO Building at North Wall Quay in Dublin.
- 2020
Little Island sorting centre closes
[1]An Post closed the Little Island sorting centre in Cork as part of the ongoing consolidation and modernization of mail-processing operations.
- 2019
Refreshed logo appears publicly
[1]The refreshed An Post logo first appeared publicly in March 2019 across branded materials and locations.
- 2018
Rural post-office restructuring is announced
[1]The company announced the proposed closure of 159 post offices serving very small communities, prompting local and political campaigns.
- 2018
Current An Post logo is adopted
[1]An Post adopted its current logo on 14 December 2018 as part of a corporate identity refresh.
- 2017
AddressPal launches
[6]An Post launched AddressPal to provide Irish consumers with proxy delivery addresses in the United Kingdom and United States for cross-border online shopping.
- 2015
Eircode is introduced nationally
[7]Ireland introduced its national postcode system after a prolonged planning and implementation process, adding a standardized digital location reference to postal addresses.
- 2014
National Lottery operating role ends
[1]An Post’s subsidiary ceased operating the National Lottery licence, which transferred to Premier Lotteries Ireland.
- 2012
ComReg initiates service-quality proceedings
[8]The Commission for Communications Regulation launched legal proceedings concerning An Post’s service quality, creating a significant regulatory challenge for the company.
Products and positioning
A trusted, state-owned national infrastructure brand combining universal postal access with parcel logistics, retail distribution, digital commerce support and selected financial and government services.
Postal services · 1984
Letter post
An Post’s traditional letter-post operation collects, sorts and delivers domestic and international letters through Ireland’s universal postal network. The service includes ordinary, registered, tracked and other specialist formats, supported by postage stamps and counter access at post offices. Although electronic communication has reduced structural letter volumes, letter delivery remains a central public-service obligation and a defining part of the An Post brand.
Logistics and delivery · 1984
Parcel services
An Post provides domestic and international parcel collection, processing, delivery and collection-point services for consumers, retailers and businesses. The parcel business has become strategically more important as e-commerce has replaced part of the company’s historic letter activity. Services include tracking, returns, customs processing and delivery through post offices, postal routes and other collection infrastructure.
Express delivery
Express Post
Express Post is An Post’s expedited delivery offering for time-sensitive domestic and all-island consignments. It has been positioned as a next-day service within Ireland, giving individuals and businesses a faster alternative to ordinary post. The service forms part of An Post’s effort to compete in urgent documents, small parcels and e-commerce fulfilment while using its nationwide delivery network.
International express mail
EMS
EMS is An Post’s international express-mail service, delivered through the cooperative global EMS and Universal Postal Union framework. It is intended for documents and merchandise requiring faster international handling than ordinary mail. Availability, delivery times and customs treatment depend on destination-country arrangements and applicable import rules.
Financial services
An Post Money
An Post Money is the brand used for An Post’s personal-finance offering. Depending on the product and current availability, the portfolio includes current-account services, payment cards, lending, foreign exchange and related money-management support. It extends An Post’s historic role as a trusted transaction point into digital and account-based financial services while retaining links to the wider postal and retail network.
Cross-border e-commerce · 2017
AddressPal
AddressPal gives Irish customers virtual delivery addresses in the United Kingdom and United States. Customers can use the proxy address when shopping with retailers that do not ordinarily ship directly to Ireland, after which the goods are forwarded into Ireland for home delivery or collection. The service is connected with An Post’s Air Business operations and reflects the company’s move into cross-border e-commerce logistics.
Retail and transaction services · 1984
Post-office network
An Post operates a nationwide network of post offices and postal agents. In addition to accepting and delivering mail and parcels, branches can provide selected payment, banking, foreign-exchange, government and retail services. The network is particularly important in rural communities, where the post office may be one of the few remaining regular public-facing commercial institutions.
Address and location data
GeoDirectory
GeoDirectory is an address and geolocation service jointly established by An Post and Ordnance Survey Ireland. It maintains standardized records for buildings and addresses in Ireland and associates properties with geocodes. The service supports address verification, navigation, property analysis, logistics and digital applications, and complements An Post’s operational knowledge of the national delivery geography.
Banking · 2007
Postbank Ireland
Postbank Ireland was a historical joint venture involving An Post and Fortis, with BNP Paribas involved in the financial-services arrangement. It was designed to offer current accounts, savings, insurance, mortgages and credit cards through the post-office network. The operation was announced for closure in 2010 and is no longer an An Post offering.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Rural post-office retention campaigns
Ireland
Community campaigns opposed the proposed closure of small post offices serving populations below 500 people. Local activists and political representatives argued that branches provided essential access to services and supported the social and economic life of rural communities.
Outcome. Three branches—Ballinskelligs in County Kerry, Cliffoney in County Sligo and Ballycroy in County Mayo—were spared closure following local campaigns.
- 2009C Both Sides
Ireland
An Post sponsored a public postcard initiative that invited people to create postcards around changing themes. The project used the physical postcard as both a postal product and a participatory creative medium, encouraging public engagement with traditional mail during a period of increasing digital communication.
Outcome. The project ran for approximately one year and is documented as a branded public-engagement initiative.
Brand decisions
2025
Continue the Green Light transformation strategyStrategyBackground
An Post has faced structural letter-volume decline, cost pressure and the need to invest in parcels, technology, sustainability and a financially sustainable universal service.
Action taken
The company continued implementing its Green Light strategy across operational efficiency, digital capability, commerce, sustainability and financial stabilization.
Aftermath
An Post reported that 2025 delivered its highest revenue, EBITDA and cash reserves, while CEO David McRedmond stated that he expected to conclude his term later in 2026.
Highest-ever group revenue, EBITDA and cash reserves. Highest reported levels in An Post history (Financial year 2025)
2023
Move the corporate headquarters to North Wall QuayStrategyBackground
The historic General Post Office remained a major public and heritage landmark, but An Post sought a modern corporate workplace for its central operations.
Action taken
On 22 June 2023, An Post moved its headquarters to the EXO Building at North Wall Quay in Dublin.
Aftermath
The move created a distinction between the company’s corporate headquarters and the GPO’s continuing public-facing and symbolic role.
2018
Restructure the rural post-office networkStrategyBackground
Declining transaction volumes and the cost of maintaining very small branches placed pressure on the economic sustainability of parts of the network.
Action taken
An Post announced plans to close 159 post offices serving communities of fewer than 500 people, excluding offshore islands.
Aftermath
The decision generated substantial local opposition. Three branches were subsequently retained following community campaigns, while the issue became a recurring political debate about rural access and universal service.
2018
Refresh the corporate identityOtherBackground
An Post needed a contemporary visual identity reflecting its expansion into parcels, digital commerce, retail and financial services.
Action taken
The company adopted a new logo on 14 December 2018, which began appearing publicly in March 2019.
Aftermath
The refreshed identity was applied across An Post’s corporate and customer-facing presence while the historic GPO retained its heritage significance.
2017
Launch AddressPal for cross-border shoppingProduct launchBackground
Irish consumers increasingly purchased goods online from retailers in the United Kingdom and United States that did not offer direct shipping to Ireland.
Action taken
An Post launched AddressPal, providing customers with proxy delivery addresses and forwarding the resulting parcels to Ireland.
Aftermath
AddressPal became a consumer-facing e-commerce logistics service and extended An Post’s role beyond conventional postal delivery.
2015
Adopt Eircode in postal and address workflowsOtherBackground
Ireland introduced a national postcode system after a long period of planning and delay. An Post had previously questioned whether postcodes were necessary for its delivery system.
Action taken
Following national introduction of Eircode, An Post incorporated the code into address information, verification and delivery-related processes.
Aftermath
Eircode became an important digital address reference alongside An Post’s own address-management capabilities and GeoDirectory.
2010
Wind down Postbank IrelandStrategyBackground
The Postbank joint venture did not continue as a sustainable long-term banking operation through the An Post network.
Action taken
An Post and its partners began closing the Postbank unit, with the operation scheduled to be wound down by the end of 2010.
Aftermath
An Post continued to provide selected banking and transaction services through arrangements involving other banks and later developed services under the An Post Money brand.
2006
Form Postbank Ireland with FortisM&ABackground
An Post wanted to use its broad physical branch network to distribute mainstream financial products and deepen the commercial role of post offices.
Action taken
An Post signed an agreement with Fortis to create Postbank Ireland, with BNP Paribas involved in the financial-services structure and products planned across banking, savings, insurance, mortgages and cards.
Aftermath
The business was launched publicly in 2007 but was later wound down, with closure announced in 2010 and completed by the end of that year.
2003
Establish PostTS for transaction servicesStrategyBackground
An Post sought to develop the post-office network as a broader transaction platform rather than limiting branches to mail and stamp sales.
Action taken
The company created An Post Transaction Services, branded PostTS, and introduced banking and payment-related services through the retail network.
Aftermath
The initiative led to further experimentation with banking, payments, mobile top-ups and separate post-office branding, although later foreign operations were sold.
1984
Create An Post as a commercial state postal companyStrategyBackground
The Irish government reorganized the former Department of Posts and Telegraphs under the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983, separating postal operations from telecommunications.
Action taken
An Post was established to operate postal services, post offices and the universal postal obligation, while Telecom Éireann took responsibility for telecommunications.
Aftermath
The change created the modern corporate institution that continues to operate Ireland’s national postal network.
Recent events
Reported
An Post rolls out electric vehicle fleet in Galway City[10]
An Post rolled out a new electric vehicle fleet for Galway City, making Galway its second location after Dublin to transition to an emission-free service.
Reported
An Post Money Mate becomes Legion Esports title sponsor[11]
An Post announced a partnership with Legion Esports. Under the agreement, An Post’s money management app became the organisation’s title sponsor and partner of its creator programme.
Reported
An Post announces increases to standard letter stamp prices[12]
An Post announced that from May 27 it would raise the standard national letter stamp price by 10 cents to €1.10 and the standard international letter price by 30 cents to €2.00.
Reported
An Post launches Emporia S4 smartphone[13]
An Post launched the Emporia S4 smartphone for older customers and people with impaired mobility. The phone was available contract-free through An Post Mobile and at post offices.
Reported
An Post offers free winter mail service to nursing and care home residents[14]
An Post began offering free postage for letters, cards and parcels weighing up to 2 kg sent to or received by nursing and care home residents for the winter season.
Reported
Post Office launches cash delivery service[15]
The Post Office launched a service enabling vulnerable people in England who are shielding at home and receive benefits such as pensions to have cash payments delivered directly to them.
Reported
An Post launches check-in service for vulnerable people[16]
An Post launched a free service allowing people to request a check-in on elderly or vulnerable family members who are cocooning.
Reported
An Post launches The Shared Network data-sharing service[17]
An Post joined charities and service providers to launch The Shared Network, a mobile data-sharing initiative for people who are homeless or living in temporary accommodation. The service redistributes data from An Post's mobile network; its initial transfer was 18,000GB.
Sources20 sources
- 1An Posten.wikipedia.org
- 2An Post Board and Management Boardanpost.com
- 3Members of the Board of Managementanpost.com
- 4An Post Reportsanpost.com
- 5An Post reports highest ever Revenue, EBITDA and Cash Reserves in 2025anpost.com
- 6AddressPal product informationanpost.com
- 7Ireland’s postcode system and Eircodegov.ie
- 8ComReg in legal action over An Post servicerte.ie
- 9Postbank to wind down by end of yearrte.ie
- 10An Post在戈尔韦市启用电动汽车车队galwaybayfm.ie
- 11An Post Money Mate成为Legion Esports冠名赞助商esportsinsider.com
- 12An Post宣布上调标准信件邮票价格dundalkdemocrat.ie
- 13An Post 推出 Emporia S4 智能手机farmersjournal.ie
- 14An Post为护理及养老院住户提供冬季免费邮寄服务lmfm.ie
- 15英国邮局推出现金送达服务bridportnews.co.uk
- 16An Post推出弱势群体探访服务98fm.com
- 17An Post推出The Shared Network数据共享服务newstalk.com
- 18An Post announces increase in stamp prices from next month | Offaly Independentoffalyindependent.ie
- 19An Post Launches Free Service For People Cocooningtodayfm.com
- 20Post Office launches cash delivery service to help vulnerable customerstheargus.co.uk
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