"A significant victory for rural Ireland".
That's how Cavan community activist, Sean McKiernan described the reversal of the decision by AIB to go cashless at 70 branches nationwide.
Mr McKiernan, who was speaking on this morning's Joe Finnegan Show, pointed to the "incredible couple of days" last week when public demand for the reversal "grew momentum".
He added that when politicians "rowed in" and the Taoiseach Micheal Martin caught the public mood while travelling in Japan, it was clear the people had spoken.
Mr McKiernan said that while the initial proposal by AIB had become a PR disaster, that didn't mean the matter wouldn't be raised again in the future.
"It is a significant victory for rural communities," he continued.
"You have to remember that AIB might have been the only bank left in a town because other banks would have left.
"As a result, their decision to go cashless would have been the straw that broke the camel's back in a lot of cases."
