I live in a modern estate and to be honest, if you don't have children you kind of get a feeling that you don't really belong. The only people I see mixing together are parents on the green with their small kids.
We live in that kind of estate. However, there are some older folk and some younger folk who go out of their way to mix, and their presence is greatly appreciated.
Living in my place 5 years, know one person 5mins walk away. As for immediate neighbours, we are in a duplex apt sharing a large common area with one other apt. Its always been rented, 3rd set of tenants in now, just say hello when meet.
Myself and my husband have lived in a few different places over the last few years. We’ve rarely gotten to know our neighbours and only nod and say hello to the ones either side of us.
Cant’ stand the neighbours on one side anyway, they are noisy, they have kids who attract other kids, the sound of the football drives me nuts and there is nothing in the way of us and them – our front doors are right beside each other and they may as well be standing outside my front door screaming at each other. So really I don’t want to know them - if we weren’t stuck in serious negative equity I would have been out the door years ago. Good fences make good neighbours! My parents didn’t have many neighbours into the house either so I suppose I grew up not talking much to the neighbours although my mother is now great friends with the neighbours immediately around her.... Definitely think it’s more of a Dublin thing not to know your neighbours...
I think its more a modern thing. I grew up in Dublin and everyone knew their neighbours. Probably partly because mothers didn't work and were at home all day and had plenty of time to become friendly with other people on the road. Nowadays a lot of people are only at home in the evenings and spend their weekends rushing around getting shopping and housework done and trying to find time to visit family and friends. Neighbours end up slipping down the list of priorities.