Postman Never Missed Work in 48 Years, Co. Offaly, Ireland 1984

Awards presented at two post offices in County Offaly.
Gerard Harvey, Chief Executive of An Post, unveiled a bronze plaque outside Riverstown Sub-Post Office, which won first place in its category in that year’s Tidy Towns Competition. A visitor’s book, kept by the post-mistress’s Paddy Hourigan, may have impressed competition organisers Bord Fáilte. According to Seán Browne, they judge how neat, tidy, well-presented and friendly post-offices are.
While in Offaly, Harvey paid a visit to Birr to present a special award to postman Willie Shortt, who had never missed a day’s work in 48 years. He had been working in Birr Post Office since 1936 and still had a few years to go before retirement.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 13 November 1984. The reporter is Alasdair Jackson.

[@Romulus8]

What a gent that postman was ! a real reliable hard working man to be admired !

[@gunnerglory]

48 years of service, here's an imitation silver tray with 4 goblets on it. Good man.

[@DavidJones-mn7ie]

You must have great eyes to see the absence of a hallmark.

[@jamesbradshaw3389]

@That is a very long time to be a postman he must be the fittest man in Ireland. I bet my most favorite old leather boots, the ones that have got holes in their soles for my days dancing and jumping up to the roof rafters during Thin Lizzy & Rory Gallagher concerts. When I was a little boy living way out west in the mountain's, I would always look out for our postman Mr Mitchall/Conroy returning back from his work to his home, especially on Friday evening and after he had done very hard week's work, and now with the pay packet in hand he would treat himself to a few relaxing pints of porter in Kane's pub before heading back to him home along a long winding, sandy, bumpy road with steek hills, he cycled/walked/stumbled/ tripped the light fantastic back home, this 20-minute journey could take up to 2 hours on a good day, carrying 2 hessian shopping bags, hanging from the handlebars of postman bicycle and filled with 4 large brown bottles of stout, sometimes the postman would lose his balance and he would come craching down on to his backside and on to the edge of the road with the bicycle falling down on top of him, I would watch his journey home for the longest time, looking out from my grandmother's home front window which had a vantage as it was built high up on the lower part of a mountain with views of over 25 miles away. when the postman came near to my house I would run outside say hello to him and to help push his heavy bicycle up the hill, Sometimes the postman would give me a small bar of chocolate and also offer my some of his loose change from his drinking which I never took from him, if I go to see the postman the following day, he would look bright and cheerful, full of life but we never spoke about his struggles to get home on Friday evenings. Postmen job was hard in those old days, they had to cycle miles and miles battling against all types of stormy, wet and during snowy and icy winter days followed later by scorching hot summer days. Well postman Mr Mitchall/Conroy I hope that you are still delivering the post around heaven, having a few points of porter on Friday afternoons and having the time of your life

[@marcdavis4509]

What a remarkable man.

[@billyo54]

To see the postman with his cap, uniform and badge of authority is a pleasure to behold. How cheap looking contemporary times have become.

[@johnallen7807]

A man (and couple) who take a real pride in their jobs, I envy them.

[@MichaelPatrick-dy8wp]

What a man, the Post Office has been a great service to the Community, Long my it last!!!

[@stephenmcloughlin7718]

He was lucky working in Offaly. I knew a postman of a similar vintage, but that poor fellow had to spend all his working life in Laois 😉

[@woodendoors9532]

Good men

[@Lysimachus]

2084: amazon deliveryman never missed work in 96 years

[@finolaomurchu8217]

😂

[@MichaelPatrick-dy8wp]

Yeah can't wait till I get My last week's order in 2084. I'll bring you all out on a session that day, All the drinks and food are on Me 😂

[@patscanlan2678]

Who says Renaults aren't reliable?

[@raftonpounder6696]

It wasn’t the Renault that had the huge mileage. That Renault was his new van. Listen more carefully.

[@folksurvival]

@@raftonpounder6696 Trigger's broom.

[@seandelap8587]

Now thats what you call really dedication not like these modern TikTokers that compain about about having to work for a living they really don't have a clue about how easy they have it

[@Toshfunk]

Congrats, you're officially an old crank. Same old story, new generation

[@eddiestaunton514]

Ah the good old days when nobody robbed Post Offices

[@danielwild.]

Man's gotta work. Earns yea money and keeps yea from trouble. 👍

[@derrickmurphy7632]

Ah bless him,wonder how long he lived for after retirement.

[@jimbobjimjim6500]

Probably only a couple of years, in those days...

[@michaelstaunton1632]

👍👍

[@TomInIreland110]

Hang on… his name is Willie Short?

[@tonemc6047]

His neighbour is Hugh Janus .

[@m1ndfckd]

and then he retired and became irrelevant to the world in a week...