Author warns of wave of unfriendliness descending on Irish people

A wave of unfriendliness is descending on Irish people, who are increasingly discouraging even the most casual interaction with others, a bestselling author has warned.

“A wall of silence seems to be coming between us and the people we meet on the street. That may be understandable in big cities, but in small rural communities it shouldn’t be happening and it’s unsettling to see it,” observed Alice Taylor, author of more than 20 books, including the iconic best-seller To School Through The Fields, which have for decades promoted the values of rural life and the power of community.

“People seem to be putting up a wall of silence between themselves and others, even in terms of small, casual interactions. I wonder if it’s leading to a sort of ‘closed-offedness’ from our neighbours and from those who live in our communities,,” said the writer.

Now in her early 80s, Ms Taylor, who lives in the small West Cork village of Innishannon in a house attached to the local supermarket and post office, said that this had forcibly struck her while out for a walk over the weekend:

“It was a lovely sunny day and I walked through the village car-park which is adjacent to our playground, en route to the local wood. There were a lot of young families coming out of their cars. It was a Sunday and there were a lot of people around. I smiled and said 'hello' to several couples. I was very taken aback by the stony faces and the lack of response I got."

"I had the feeling that I was an unwelcome intruder into their personal space and yet all I was doing was saluting them,” she said, adding that among those she had casually greeted was a young couple with a dog:

“The only one who reacted to me was the dog, who wagged his tail! The young couple stared at me with stony faces,” she said.

There seems to be a trend, or a wave, of unfriendliness spreading across our society. I’m concerned we’re heading down the road of isolation and loneliness,” she said, adding that she believed this is being driven by our preoccupation with smart devices.

“People are not present where they are. Their bodies are there but their heads are not,” she said.

“Have we got to the point where we think people are not just being pleasant for the sake of it, because there must be a hidden agenda?

"Irish people have always been renowned for their openness and friendliness but I fear we’re losing this. I wonder if we’re becoming very self-absorbed,” she said, adding that she believes the ability to connect with others underlies the whole structure of community.

“This is one thing Ireland always had; friendliness. People would talk to each other and smile at each other,” Ms Taylor said, adding that she was struck by a comment during a recent TV debate, that, the way Irish society is going, we’d have to take out planning permission to smile at people.