Republic of Ireland Postal Addresses - Moving Towards A Postcode - An Post's Position

An Post's Position

An Post had previously claimed that a nationwide public postcode system was unnecessary, stating that it was "a 1960s solution to a 21st century problem", that it would be expensive, and that its existing system was superior. However, they now support the introduction of a national postcode, according to the Irish Times. Courier services and direct mail companies complained that the absence of such a system put Ireland at a disadvantage compared with other European countries.

An Post does use a system of three-digit sort codes, similar to the Mailsort system used by Royal Mail in the United Kingdom, for pre-sorting mail in bulk. There are two levels, Presort 152, which has 152 codes for large volumes of mail, and Presort 61, which has 61 codes for smaller volumes.

It corresponds to Dublin postal districts, e.g.; Dublin 1 is 101, etc., except for Dublin 10 and Dublin 20, which both have the same code 110, and Dublin 6W, which is 126. Cork has codes for four each of the delivery offices, Ballinlough (901), North City (902), Little Island (903), and South City (903).