There was a postal service from the towns of Cavan and Belturbet to both Dublin and London from as early as 1659. Later, according to Mairead Reynolds in “Aspects of Cavan's Postal History” there was a stagecoach service, which operated from Dublin to Enniskillen via Kells, Virginia, Cavan and Lisnaskea. Passengers, parcels and letters were carried in these stagecoaches. The following extract on page 119 from the chapter ‘Highways and Transport’ in the book “The Civic History of the Town of Cavan” by T. S. Smyth confirms the centrality and importance of our village:

“The Gentleman’s and Citizen’s Almanac for the year 1768 gives a list of the principal roads in Ireland…. This list shows the town of Cavan on the direct route from Dublin to Enniskillen. The route from Dublin through Navan, Kells, Virginia (via Ballyjamesduff) to Cavan, Butlersbridge, Lisnaskea, etc. to Enniskillen. It may be assumed…. This was the road on which the mail coach traveled.”

According to (Page 424 House of Commons Report XII 1829) “The Treasury in Ireland in 1816 had to advance the sum of £1,551-13s-0d for building a stone bridge in lieu of Butlersbridge for the Mail Coach Road Cavan to Enniskillen”.

As we have seen earlier Isaac Butler already had described in 1744 “passing over Butlersbridge, of five strong stone arches……” So 72 years later was this bridge replaced, or was it that the bridge needed widening for the extra mail and other traffic? The Mail Coach Road had been broadened in the early 1800’s so that the work on the bridge may have been a consequence.

Although Mairead Reynolds in her research states "A penny post service was established by a post-master in Butlersbridge on the fifth of January 1831", the first official mention of Butlersbridge in any Post Office records is in the British Parliamentary report on the Post Office 1837-'38. In this report Butlersbridge is listed as a receiving house of Belturbet. It also states that Butlersbridge Post Office was opened on 6th November 1835. The 1838 report states that the gross revenue for the previous year was £1.17s.8d.; approximately 450 letters were carried for the year. The Post Office Directory in 1845 names a John Reilly, as postmaster and he remained so until 1859. A Thomas Reilly is cited as a postmaster in 1870. From 1856 onwards Butlersbridge P O was a subsidiary of Belturbet and Cavan post towns at various dates and records show that in 1880 Butlersbridge was a subsidiary of Ballyhaise. I am most grateful to Anthony Hughes, from Mullingar, and Hugh McGoldrick from Clones (formerly Glangevlin), both of whom are postal historians who have provided me with this information.

From T.S. Smyths book ref: above (page 95) we also find an interesting reference that late in 1858, the Grand Jury (forerunner of the County Council) records denote that in 1855 a contract commencing summer assizes of 1855, "To John Reilly, Butlersbridge one of the surities in the contract for 5 yrs, for 816 perches post road [First class], Cavan to Enniskillen and Belturbet, between the 55th mile stone at the Cavan jail (Boys school, Farnham St) and 57th - mile - stone near Coolboyogue (One Irish mile was equal to 1.2727 English miles) @ 25, 6d per perch : sixth half year £25, 10s. od - Contract commencing summer assizes 1857.

The mail coach postal service continued until the mid 1850s when the railway began carrying the mail. Wherever possible the post office strove to abolish the mail carts and horse posts and used the cheaper option of a post boy on foot who walked from Belturbet to Butlersbridge post office. At this time the mail from Cavan now arrived in Belturbet via Clones railway station. This changed again in 1882 when the mail was dispatched from Cavan by mail cart en route to Belturbet. Butlersbridge complained in 1886 that their mid-day mail which they received and dispatched via the Belturbet mail cart was threatened and duly engaged the help of their local MP Joseph Biggar to raise the matter with the Postmaster General in the house of Commons in London, the Post Office proposed a post boy to walk from Cavan to Butlersbridge on a yearly salary of £10-6s-9p and to discontinue the Mail Cart which was costing £88 per annum. We know from the 1881 Slater’s Directory that a John Mulligan was the postmaster in 1881 in the village. We also know from John Clancy’s Derragarra Inn Booklet that John Mulligan ran a Post Office from this Inn and that because of legislation passed forbidding the co-existence of an Inn and Post Office at the same premises, the post office was transferred elsewhere sometime after 1881. In 1882 rural posts to Cloverhill and Redhills were established. In 1889 – a branch post to Derridis and Derryheen were established after Derridis and Derryheen were both refused a sub post office of their own. By 1910 a cycle was provided by the post office to the postman/post boy taking the letters from Cavan to Butlersbridge.

Mrs. Mary Fitzpatrick (a sister of Fr John Gilhooley Drummany) was postmistress in 1882 but retired in 1901, which resulted in the appointment of Bernard Fitzpatrick as postmaster who held the position until 1911. I have compiled a list of some of the postmasters / postmistresses provided by the present Cavan postmaster Jimmy Fay and from the researches I have carried out in Slater's Directories 1870, 1881 and 1894.

I have been unable as yet to establish exact dates of service but am giving below the information I have to date.
John Reilly 1845 – 1859
Thomas Reilly 1870
John Mulligan 1881
Mary Fitzpatrick 1892 – 1901 (Retired)
Bernard Fitzpatrick 1901 – 1911

Patrick Markey 1911 - 1912
Mrs. Mary Jane Markey 5 Nov. 1912 –17 Nov. 1919 (resigned)
Mrs. Ellen Lane (nee Brogan)
Acting Postmistress 18 Nov. 1919 – 2 Jan. 1920
Appointed postmistress 3 Jan. 1920 23 May 1955
Seamus Lane 24 May 1955 – 24 Feb. 1981

Anna Farrell, Postmistress 25 Feb. 1981 – 12th Jan 2008.

Thanks to Anna Farrell recently retired Postmistress for this picture. Taken in 1976 in the old Post Office. Jimmy O'Rourke pictured here with Seamus Lane who was Postmaster between 24 May 1955 – 24 Feb. 1981.