Sir, – Keith Duggan’s excellent piece on loneliness in Ireland alluded to, but skirted around, what contribution our built environment and our overall lack of sustainable planning has made to our sense of belonging, community and mental wellbeing (“Why is Ireland, the land of a thousand welcomes, the loneliest country in Europe?”, Magazine, November 18th).
Is it any wonder that people feel lonely and isolated when our towns and suburbs are so poorly designed. Many of the former centres of towns in Ireland, where people of all age groups would have traditionally lived close by to each other and within walking distance of all services and community resources like pubs or cafes, are now derelict or otherwise underpopulated. Edge developments, where estates are tacked on to town centres move populations out of the town, are mono-generational and are built with car commuting in mind. These estates don’t provide enough passing population to support town centre facilities, where people can meet, even for a coffee or a quick chat, all of which contributes to a general sense of loneliness.
Our laissez-faire planning system allowed outer suburbs to sprawl and sprawl, with thousands of three-and four-bed semis, while every country road is lined with one-off houses on either side, all built around car based commuting.
Compare this to continental Europe where more densely planned accommodation supports multiple local facilities and public transport and where apartment blocks support local coffee shops, which, when they charge about a third of Irish coffee shops, encourage you to get coffee out rather than at home and perhaps meet your neighbours.
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Our society was also one built around the pub as a centre of entertainment and community; however, with the sprawling that our poor planning has brought, these are no longer walkable for those on the edge of our towns. Without a sustainable nearby base, Celtic Tiger-era “improvements” converted our remaining downtown pubs to overpriced drinking barns where everything from music to the obligatory Sky Sports are played at deafening volume, further driving away older or occasional clients. Compare this to the situation in European towns and cities where changes like this wouldn’t be tolerated. There’s a reason why many German kneipen or French cafés look the way they do – because the locals like it that way and the locals continue to go there.
Is it any wonder then that our poor planning with car-based mobility, combined with an atomised post-pub, post-church society has contributed to a feeling of loneliness? – Yours, etc,
RORY J WHELAN,
Drogheda,
Co Meath.
Sir, – I was heartened to finally see loneliness being discussed in Keith Duggan’s article. It is an issue that comes up constantly when I’m knocking on doors in Blackrock. It affects all age groups, from older people living alone to our teens and young adults.
Sadly our Government does not see it as a priority.
In addition to implementing the Loneliness Taskforce’s Action Plan, our local authorities must be empowered to fight loneliness. As the article suggested, community spaces such as parks, playgrounds and libraries should be central to our battle against loneliness. – Yours, etc,
Cllr MARTHA FANNING,
Labour,
Blackrock Local
Electoral Area,
Dún Laoghaire
Rathdown County Council,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – I found it strange that in Keith Duggan’s article on Ireland and loneliness there is a picture of President Higgins talking to a man with a plastic bag over his face. The President is noted as saying in his conversation, “it is a terrible feeling to be disconnected”. – Yours, etc,
NOEL HOWARD,
Kilworth,
Co Cork.