The Last of The Cycling Postmen, Goleen, Co. Cork, Ireland 1975

A postman in west Cork has been delivering the mail by cycling his 27 mile route for 42 years.

‘Newsround’ visits the town of Goleen, where for 42 years, local postman Mike Sheehan has cycled and walked with the post, anything up to 30 miles a day.

His friends calculate he has worn out a total of 22 bikes, 96 pairs of tyres, 240 pairs of brake pads, and that at a conservative minimum, he has cycled the equivalent of ten times around the Equator, just doing his job.

The mountain terrain makes for some steep climbs and the other two Goleen postmen prefer to use a car or a motorbike. Does this mean it is the end of the line for the cycling postman?

A ‘Newsround’ report broadcast on 2 November 1975.