The post office in Bunacurry on Achill Island closed yesterday as local post mistress Ms Mary Lineen-McNulty shut up shop after 41 years behind its counter.
The post office has been operated for 123 years by Ms Lineen-McNulty's family, and will be no more now that she has retired.
Ms Lineen-McNulty said it was a black day for the local community and warned of the consequences for the village's future if services continue to erode.
"It's an emotional day for me and my customers," she said.
"I believe An Post has a policy for closing small post offices. While it says no suitable applicant was found for the post in Bunacurry, the reality is that I could not have survived in this job except that I subsidised my salary with my widow's pension. The pay is pretty poor to run a rural post office.
"A person has to provide a premises, pay for heating, lighting and public liability, and it's simply not attractive.
"Areas like this are dying without services and successive governments have abandoned us. In the past two years we have lost a primary teacher, a local priest, a butcher and a shop. It's a worrying trend," she said.
Local Fianna Fáil councillor Mr Michael McNulty said he was aware of local anger at the erosion of services.
"One-hundred-and-eighty families in Bunacurry used the local post office.
"It's short-sighted of An Post to close offices. Counter business in post offices has never been a loss maker to An Post," said Mr McNulty.
