Know Your Neighbours Weekend

12/07/2008 - 09:49:10
Macra Na Feirme is calling on members of the public to take some time to get to know your neighbours this weekend.
1,500 activities have been organised nationwide as part of the event.
The annual campaign promotes increased communication between neighbours in both rural and urban communities.
Macra's President, Catherine Buckley says many people around the country have organised a range of activities from coffee mornings to barbeques.
“The underlying point of the whole weekend is that people will take the opportunity to get to know their neighbours,” Ms Buckley said.

Thanks to Breaking News for that. In a village knowing one's neighbours isn't something that can be avoided. I know the names and basics about my neighbours for four houses to the left, two to the right and five across the road. I'd say there are about another thirty people I know in the village. People who grew up here know hundreds of people by name and history.

I used to live in cities and relished urban anonymity. At the end of the day though village life I think is more character forming because you have to stick with who you are are make it work.

Do other posters know their neighbours?

cactus flower wrote:

Do other posters know their neighbours?

I do. I get on famously with the people 6 houses down from me on my left and the house on my right. I am on favourable terms with another 5 families up the road I'm on, 5 on the street adjoining mine and another few on the street up from me. This Macra na Feirme initiative, however worthwhile, happily does not apply to me. I have no need for it. I get on alright as it is.

I know most of mine. Our neighbourhood was settled in the forties so there's a core group of old families and then the newer families coming in.

I've been in my house nearly 2 years and only know the neighbour on one side. Admittedly I don't have a neighbour on the other side but there's a few houses in the area and I don't know any of them.
It says more about me than my neighbours though.
My brother moved into his house only 6 months ago and knows all the neighbours in his area. It's probably because he goes to the pub though.
I think this is one of the important things to note when discussing socialising in rural areas.
There's this farmer who lives near my family. Any time I mention him to my dad's friends in the area (all the old men in their 60s and 70s), their eyes narrow and they say stuff like 'he's a strange one'.
The main reason for this is because he doesn't drink and he's protestant, so they never see him either in mass or in the pub.
These are the only social outlets in most rural areas, so the fact that i'm not religious and I don't drink means I get to meet far fewer people in my area than would otherwise be the case.

905 wrote:

I know most of mine. Our neighbourhood was settled in the forties so there's a core group of old families and then the newer families coming in.

My estate was built in the Seventies and, like yourselves, there's a good solid constituency of people who have been there since the start.

It's actually a great place to live where I am. You don't need a car, the schools are great and inclusive with plenty of support, there's a great ecumenical movement in our local Christian denominations, the village is a vibrant place full of local companies and there aren't too many social problems.

Our estate was built in the mid 60s. It is a small estate and many of the original residents remain so there is a strong sense of community on our road. We would certainly know all the neighbours to say hello to and we would know the majority as friends. It is changing a bit though, you notice that younger people moving in these days are more likely to stick gates up blocking themselves out from the rest of us. We used to have a great ecumenical road - 14 houses, 2 Jewish families, 2 Protestant families, 1 muslim family and the rest Catholic!

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

905 wrote:

I know most of mine. Our neighbourhood was settled in the forties so there's a core group of old families and then the newer families coming in.

My estate was built in the Seventies and, like yourselves, there's a good solid constituency of people who have been there since the start.

It's actually a great place to live where I am. You don't need a car, the schools are great and inclusive with plenty of support, there's a great ecumenical movement in our local Christian denominations, the village is a vibrant place full of local companies and there aren't too many social problems.

Good pubs too.I live in what would appear to be a seriously cold and unengaging place. Eight foot walls and permanently closed gates. It is clear that the residents here enjoy their privacy. That said there has scarce been a house built or sold here for the last 5-10 years so save the few who have blown in we all know each other well enough. And we get an awful lot of people walking down the avenue as there is little traffic, lots of dogs too, which is nice since mine is broken and doesn't do so much with the walking these days. Those people with the Boxer better watch out. 

Not many people visit Squire Hall.

Squire wrote:

Not many people visit Squire Hall.

For the life of me, I can't see why.