The Rossnowlagh shop and Post Office that changed its sails to meet the challenges of Covid

Liam Finnegan is the owner of Finnegan’s Shop and Post Office which is located on the road to Rossnowlagh and just a wee jaunt from the Franciscan Friary in Rossnowlagh.

It's along a quaint regional road, meandering past the Abbey graveyard at Ballyshannon and a little plaque that is dedicated to a plane crash that took place there, during World War Two.

The elegant Creevy Pier is not too far away either and you can smell the beauty as well as see it.

The popular location represents the type of business that we all remember growing up, which you could always rely on, no matter what way the weather vane was pointing, 

It is now a convenience store and a quick pit-stop for those going to or coming back from the nearby beach and catering for a wide diversity of customers.

It also remains part of a declining but vital network of post offices which still operate in rural areas of the county.  

Covid-19 put paid to exciting plans to celebrate 125 years in business back in the first year of the pandemic, but that had to be shelved in the interim.

Reflecting on the restrictions lifting as well as the last two years, Liam looks optimistically at the future, but still remembering the challenges of small businesses in the county that predated Covid-19.

“We are delighted that things are beginning to normalise and hoping that this will continue.

“Things were very bad before the pandemic started and come January and February you could find yourself in a rough place. 

“Can I scrape through, can I afford to buy that item to put on the shelf this week? So when the pandemic came along we shifted into a completely different sort of gear, as altogether.

Beautiful Bundoran ready and raring to go

“We began doing deliveries, there were people coming to the door and handing in lists, we were making up boxes of stuff for people. And it went back to basics, basic grocery products.

He admitted between Covid and Brexit, there were many challenges.

“Trying to source stuff was an absolute nightmare, especially when you are a small business,” he explained.

Ironically it was those same small businesses that were putting in the hours that were able to step up to the mark, he believes. 

“We simply soldiered on, did our best and while it has not been easy even with mask wearing and sanitising but we have done all right and are looking forward to the future.”

Putting on his postmaster's hat Liam said that it’s all about being up to the challenge, whatever that may be.

“We would say to the government, give us the work and we will do it. We want to get on with it.”         

An enthusiastic Liam added: “I am very positive going forward and one of the things that struck me through Covid was the appetite that people had with staycations, with people from down south and realising how much good value there is up ehere, in Donegal.

"I would also say that I have also noticed that a number of people are now making their home in Rossnowlagh, not that remote working has been such a success, out of necessity, because of Covid.

"This is great and I think that in the longer term, it will help generate more people to come here and live on a permanent basis and that we are not just known for holiday homes and visitors, which of course, are also vital to our future."