Bank of Ireland says it can’t give definite answer on whether its Cahir branch will re-open after Covid-19 crisis

Bank of Ireland has failed to give a commitment that its Cahir branch will re-open once Covid-19 social distancing restrictions are lifted. 

Local Cllr Andy Moloney, who has made representations to Bank of Ireland seeking to find out when the Cahir branch will re-open, reports the branch's closure is causing inconvenience and hardship for business people in Cahir and its large rural hinterland who now have to travel longer distances to the bank's branches in  Tipperary and Clonmel 

The branch, located at  The Square in Cahir, was among 101 Bank of Ireland branches to be closed in March due to a fall in customers visiting banks during the coronavirus pandemic. 

One other Co. Tipperary Bank of Ireland branch in Templemore was also closed at the time. Unlike Bank of Ireland's branches in Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, Cashel and Tipperary, the Cahir and Templemore branches no longer operate a manned counter service. Bank of Ireland said in March the closures were temporary. 

The staff of both branches have been redeployed to support the bank's larger branches where Bank of Ireland said  social distancing between customers could be properly maintained. They were also redeployed to help contact centres manage the customers requiring Covid-19 support, especially for mortgage and SME loan payment breaks. 

Now  that the Covid-19 crisis is abating, businesses are gradually re-opening and social distancing restrictions are being eased. The Nationalist contacted Bank of Ireland to see when it plans  to re-open its Cahir branch. 

Bank of Ireland issued a statement outlining that the redeployment of staff from the branches it closed ensured the bank focused its resources on the banking services most in demand by customers right now.  

“As the course of the pandemic remains unclear and social distancing is likely to remain in place for some time we cannot be definitive regarding next steps at this stage. 

“However, we are continuing to closely monitor all announcements from the National Public Health Emergency Team,” the statement added.  

When The Nationalist sought to clarify whether Cahir Bank of Ireland branch will re-open, the bank issued this follow up statement: 

“Our focus right now is on prioritising and protecting the services most in demand while assessing very closely all developments. It’s challenging to be definitive at the moment because there are a huge range of unknowns as we look to the future. 

“Neither we nor anyone knows when social distancing will no longer be required – that could be months, or years – and many locations cannot open as long as social distancing remains in place. 

“We’re also seeing shifts in customer behaviour as we move through the pandemic

“We will continue to assess all developments, so we can provide the best possible services while at the same time offering the maximum protection to our colleagues and customers.”

Poulmucka based Independent Cllr Andy Moloney reported receiving a similar statement from Bank of Ireland to his representations. 

He spoke to a local bank manager about the matter and was informed that its Cahir staff were supporting larger branches at the moment where there were staffing issues because workers had difficulty with getting childcare due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The difficulty with enforcing social distancing guidelines at the Cahir branch was also highlighted to him. 

He said he had to take at face value Bank of Ireland's statement that it cannot give a definitive response at this stage as it was not known yet how long social distancing restrictions will be required.  The Government, after all, was only planning ahead a few weeks at a time depending on the course of the pandemic, he pointed out. 

Cllr Moloney said he has received complaints from constituents about the closure of this Bank of Ireland branch. 

Cahir has a large  rural hinterland and some parts are quite remote.  The closure of the bank was causing particular difficulties for small shopkeepers and self-employed business people in the Cahir district  who now have to close their shop or business for up to two hours to make the round trip to their nearest Bank of Ireland branch in Tipperary Town, Cashel or Clonmel to do their banking.

Cllr Moloney pointed out that Cahir was awarded a Bank of Ireland Enterprise Town Award last December but now the town's bank branch is closed. 

Bank of Ireland customers in his area weren't happy when Bank of Ireland reduced the banking services at is  Cahir branch two years ago but they had been getting used to the changes and want the branch re-opened even with the limited service it was operating. 

This downgrading of the Cahir branch included removing the staff manned counter service, which meant customers visiting the branch could only use a self-service machine to withdraw and lodge cash while foreign exchange and coin transaction services were no longer available.