post box

Wall-mounted cast-iron post box, erected c. 1940, having raised 'P&T' monogram in Gaelic script to head and with foundry mark to base reading ‘Jessop Davis, Enniscorthy’. Still in use. Set into rubble stone gate pier at gateway serving the former Fourmasters National School (see 40909429) at Copany. Located adjacent to road in the rural landscape to the east of Donegal Town.

An attractive item of street furniture that represents an early surviving artefact of mass-produced cast-iron ware. Its survival is testament to the quality of its original design and of the materials used in its manufacturing. The modest design of the box is enhanced by the raised P & T motif (Department of Posts and Telegraphs) in Celtic Revival-style script and by the raised foundry mark to the base, which enliven the appearance of this otherwise functional object. The use of Old Irish lettering represents tangible, if subtle evidence of the promotion of an indigenous national identity by the newly independent state. This particular design probably dates to after c. 1937 as earlier post-independence post boxes usually had a 'SE' cipher. This post box was cast by the Jessop Davis Foundry (1890 - 1964) of Enniscorthy, County Wexford, who were responsible for many such P&T post boxes found throughout Ireland. It is located outside the former Fourmasters National School (see 40909429) – schools are a common site for post boxes as they are a social focal point for the local community. This post box replaced an earlier British-era post box around the same location (depicted on Ordnance Survey third edition six-inch map of 1907). This simple piece of street furniture makes a positive contribution to the rural landscape to the east of Donegal Town, and is an addition to the built heritage of the local area.