One Midlands town will receive new talking ATM machines

Roscrea is set to be one of the very few towns in Ireland to see the arrival of new talking ATM cash machines.

Roscommon town is the very first in the country to receive them, with Drumcondra in Dublin, Castlebar in Mayo and Roscrea next in line.

Bank of Ireland announced the exciting news of their 'Talking ATMs' as part of a €60-million investment in its branch network.

The new ATMs are more energy efficient, they have greater cash processing capacity and they will feature a talking function to assist those who are visually impaired.

The new devices allow customers to connect their headphones into a socket so their usage of the ATM can be guided using voice assistance. There are also high-contrast screens on the new ATMs.

They will reduce energy usage by half and can be used for withdrawals and cash deposits, with the majority of them lined up to recycle money. This means that the money that is deposited through them will then be used for cash withdrawals.

It's expected that around 150 more of these newer ATMs will be rolled out across Ireland this year, with 40 locations likely to benefit from them. While 14 new ATMs have already be installed, the other locations are expected to be confirmed later.

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The upgrading of the ATM network is said to continue until the end of 2027. No additional ATM locations have been confirmed, however, it has been announced that internal and external ATMs will be included in the rollout.

Bank of Ireland Retail Chief Executive Susan Russell said: "Our new ATMs have greater cash processing capacity, are more energy efficient, and have additional accessibility features. Renewing the entire fleet is a major investment but it will enhance our customers' access to cash. We are excited to see the first new ATMs now installed and we're pressing ahead with the rollout to the rest of our branches."