DUBLIN - Ireland's post office has rejected out of hand a demand from a nationalist group to scrap more than 1,000 old post boxes which still carry the British royal crown and insignia, calling the demand "clap-trap".
An Post, the state postal company, was responding to a call from Sinn Fein, Northern Ireland's biggest Roman Catholic political party, which also fights elections south of the border.
Last week, Sinn Fein -- which opposes British rule in Northern Ireland -- said the post boxes were a throwback to the days when London ruled all Ireland, before the south attained independence in 1922.
"People fought and died to end British rule in Ireland," Sinn Fein spokesman Sean Crowe said.
"It sends the wrong message for an independent state to have the crown on public post boxes,"
"I know there are historical reasons why people would like to see them there but I don't think they should be used.
"I have no problem with them being set aside for posterity but I don't think a modern independent state should have the insignia of another country on their postal service."
Crowe said the old crown-adorned boxes could have their letter slot blocked up and be left where they were, as historical artefacts.
When the new Irish administration took over independence, the red British post boxes with their crowns and insignias were painted green and were continued to be used.
A small number of post boxes later had their door replaced with one that says SE (Saorstat Eireann, or Irish Free State, but in most cases the crown remained on the box above the door.
Late last week, Irish Communications Minister Noel Dempsey answered a parliamentary question on the issue from Sinn Fein by saying it was a matter for An Post.
A spokesman for An Post said the company had no plans to change the old boxes.
"They are part of our history. They were bequeathed to us as part of the postal services and are part of our culture and heritage and we have no plans to make changes on the basis of any pseudo-republican clap-trap," he said.
He said over a fifth of the 4,675 or so post boxes still in use throughout Ireland were pre-1922.
04/25/2005 11:58 GMT