Sir, – Utilising my shiny new postcode for the first time, I ordered an item of apparel from a company in England at 1pm on Tuesday. On the basis that delivery was affected at 2.30pm on Thursday, it would appear that Eircode is fit for purpose. – Yours, etc,
FRANK BYRNE,
Terenure,
Dublin 6W.
A chara, – The townlands of Ireland have their own Eircodes, the patchwork of placenames that make up the townlands and parishes of the country. They are free, have meaning, and contain a wealth of history, geography, and offer an insight into the lives of the people who live there.
My own native townland of Loch an Iúir, in the Rosses of Donegal, contains a veritable feast of placenames that mean more than the meaningless, mechanical codes of Eircode.
Places like Ardán Mall, Ardán Rua, An Baile Úr, An Ceasán, An Reannaigh, Páirc na Scainneagáin, Páirc an Róis, An Leacach, An tSraith, Ard na Bualadh, Na Manrachaí, Tualaigh an Leachta, Clasaidh na gCnámh, Bun na dTrí gCuilseán, Ard na Meannán, Ard na gCaorach, Loch Shalach, Ardán an Chuilinn, An Leac Bhán, Bun na Crí, Mín an Scámhaill, Mín an Ucaire, Barr na hAilte, Ailt an Eidhinn, Ard Mór and Mín na Cúinge, to name but a few, give exact locations in the townland and to particular houses and families who reside there.
Theses codes are free, having been created and handed down by the thoughtful people who went before us for the purpose of identifying particular places and people in the townland where I live. – Is mise,
RUAIDHRÍ Ó BAOILL,
Loch an Iúir,
Co Dhún na nGall.
Sir, – Aidan Ward (July 23rd) remarks on the amount of territory covered by Eircode's routing key. In Co Waterford we face what appears to be a shortage of standard location listings. Lismore, a sizeable town, does not appear on the initial Eircode screen map of Waterford. Any searcher must use the zoom function to find the town, although other smaller towns do appear on the initial map screen. The village of Ballymacarbry is in Co Waterford, but it is shown instead as part of Clonmel, Co Tipperary. Two street addresses in Dungarvan that I searched for do not appear under the spelling currently used by residents and An Post, instead Eircode employs alternate spellings. I had to use the map function to ensure I had found the right locations. Eircode is truly a case of "terms and conditions" apply. – Yours, etc,
DAN DONOVAN,
Dungarvan,
Co Waterford.
Sir, – I note with interest the correspondence surrounding Eircode. I have had a somewhat strange experience with it. The name of my house is Holly Blue, which is in Dún Laoghaire. Holly Blue refers to a species of butterfly found in my garden. Imagine my surprise when I visited the Eircode website to find my house renamed as Truly Blue in Dún Laoghaire. I wondered at first if it was a secret Fine Gael plot to inveigle me to join the party. I searched the Eircode website to discover that my household is the only Truly Blue one in Ireland. With credentials like that I guess I’ll have to change the colour of the shirts I wear.
I contacted Eircode in an effort to have the error rectified. I was told by them that once this address was in their database, it could not be changed! I have written to them insisting it must be changed and wait with interest for their reply. – Yours, etc,
FINTAN CRONIN,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – My house has always been located in Sutton, Dublin 13. However, the Eircode system now has it located in Brides Glen Road, Dublin 13. There is no Brides Glen Road in Dublin 13. The only Brides Glen Road that I am aware of is in Dublin 18, some 30km away. I enjoy living where I am and I hope that Eircode are not going to attempt the impossible task of physically relocating my house to the southside. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL TYNDALL,
Sutton, Dublin 13.
Sir, – I received my Eircode yesterday and I found to my astonishment that not only have I a new postal code, but my address is now Leixlip, Naas, Co Kildare. Leixlip is a town in north Kildare. It’s nearly half an hour’s drive to get from Leixlip to Naas. – Yours, etc,
BARRY MAHADY,
Leixlip,
Co Kildare.