Many Cork customers are waiting weeks for parcels and letters
An post eco-vehicles (stock)(Image: Fran Veale)
People across Cork have been waiting weeks for packages as An Post faces delays at its delivery centres. Many customers say they are growing frustrated with some waiting over a month for parcels and letters to be delivered.
An Post has apologised to customers impacted by delays, saying that volumes of online shopping packages are on the rise, and they faced staff issues during flu season.
One customer told CorkBeo: “Over 15 colleagues from my company have been awaiting package delivery since January, over a month for many.” He said that every time he checks for updates on his delivery, the online tracking system has for weeks displayed the same message: “Your item is being sorted for delivery.”
Concerns have been raised people receiving important packages and letters, including Government or legal correspondence, bills, medical appointment dates and packages of medication. A customer said: “Packages are confirmed to have arrived at the Little Island Centre, yet they are not being dispatched. This has raised concerns, particularly as some recipients are awaiting essential medications.”
An Post has DSU (Delivery Service Units) across Cork, including in Little Island, Churchfield, Togher, Fermoy, Macroom and Bandon, where post is sorted for dispatch to the local area.
It was described as a “very strange situation.” He said: People (are) waiting for government letters,” he said, “some even got express delivery, but the packages and letters are on hold there.”
A spokesperson said that while he was not aware of specific issues at Delivery Service Units in Cork, An Post apologises for any interrupted services impacting some customers. He explained that there was a significant backlog across the network as a result of large Christmas volumes, as well as a number of staff who went out sick during flu season in early January.
He told CorkBeo in a statement: “Parcel volumes were more than 35% higher in the 2025 Christmas period compared to the prior year, with An Post handling upwards of 3 million parcels and 3 million Christmas cards each week, and even more cards in the days before Christmas. Everyone in An Post did everything humanly and technologically possible to deliver for all personal and business customers.”
He added: “We were hit hard by sick absence in the post-Christmas and early January period and in some areas, like parts of Cork, this affected a small number of delivery routes, as we made arrangements to cover as many routes as possible each day. Many staff have now returned to work.”
“But none of that is offered in any way to offset the interrupted services some of our customers received and for which we apologise,” he added.
There has been a “huge” increase in the volume of parcels going through the An Post system, as more and more people rely on online shopping. The spokesperson said that An Post is planning on further investment into resources to handle such demand. He said: “the huge growth in e-commerce and parcel traffic will be a feature of our operations for the future and we will be committing additional resources and investment to match.”
It’s understood that the closure of a number of post offices in Cork over the last year have not affected the delivery of packages and letters, and neither is the closure of Fastway courier service in October, as An Post did not take on all of the carrier’s contracts after it went into liquidation.