Fianna Fáil TD Eugene Murphy has urged people to "go offline" this Christmas in a bid to help out our struggling post offices.

The Roscommon-Galway representative said the festive season move to get people sending physical greetings cards through the post is just one part of a larger campaign to prevent the closure of 600 post offices around the country. 

Deputy Murphy wants people to forget emails or other digital messages in the Christmas run-up:

"There's nothing as nice as to be able to get that Christmas card in the post. You're wondering who it's from, you're looking at the writing on the front of it. It's a great experience.

"And to open up that card and say 'look my friend or member of my family... has gone to the bother of sending me this card'? I think it's a fantastic experience and I don't think we should let it go."

Earlier this month, a group of rural TDs launched a Dáil motion aimed at safeguarding the post office network.

The technical group is giving the Government three months to implement a new action plan.

It is calling for the creation of a new community banking system, citing models that have already been established in New Zealand and Germany.

Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae was one of those behind the new motion.

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Deputy Healy-Rae explained: "What we have to do is look at what happened around the world and then follow on and learn from that.

"In New Zealand they were facing the exact same crisis as what we are at present. They brought in a community banking system... It has, in itself, saved their rural post offices. I know we can do this in Ireland."