\u201cI looked at her and said, \u2018Actually you can\u2019,\u201d recalls the Co Galway man, whose son is now 12. \u201cWorld Cup winners: they all probably grew up in apartments,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
Spain and Ireland are at opposite end of the housing-type spectrums: Spain has the highest proportion of apartment-dwellers in the EU (65.3 per cent), Ireland has the lowest (9.7 per cent), Eurostat Data shows<\/a>. Across the EU it\u2019s the reality for almost half (48 per cent) of households. <\/p>\n So why are Irish people so out of sync with many of their European counterparts? This question was recently considered in an opinion piece<\/a> by housing policy analyst Lorcan Sirr, who pointed to how the size, facilities, location and design of Irish apartments are among reasons many prefer houses. <\/p>\n But what\u2019s the experience of Irish people living in apartments in continental Europe? Is resistance simply down to Ireland\u2019s mix of housing stock and poorer-quality apartments, or is there something ingrained deep within us that makes the appeal of our own front door so immovable? <\/p>\n Quinn concedes that a back garden would have been nice for his son to run around when he was about five. But close to their apartment there are enough playgrounds, parks and tree-lined street for any child. <\/p>\n This density of living gives his son increasing freedom, he says: \u201cIt\u2019s a short distance to his school, to his grandparents.\u201d It also makes daily life easier, not just regarding Quinn\u2019s short commute. \u201cThere\u2019s eight-storey apartments all around here. The density of people brings the density of everything else. So there\u2019s always life … When you go to the dentist or the doctor, it\u2019s just 100m away.\u201d As the teenage years approach, Quinn believes his son will be much better off here than in one-off housing in rural Ireland where he would have to be driven everywhere. <\/p>\n Like most of his neighbours, Quinn is there for the long term, having lived in the same apartment in Barcelona since moving 17 years ago. Property ownership levels in Spain are broadly similar to Ireland (73 versus 69 per cent). <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s much less of a sense that you are on the property ladder. That you\u2019ll move on. So this means you\u2019ve a longer-term relationship with your neighbours,\u201d he says. This helps when dealing with problems like noise, a concern raised by Irish apartment dwellers in studies<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cBarcelona apartments are designed so the sittingrooms are on the street and the bedrooms face each other [in an inner courtyard] at the back,\u201d he says. If a party occasionally gets a bit loud \u201cthe cops are quick to turn up if it goes past midnight\u201d. <\/p>\n [\u00a0Irish people don\u2019t want to live in \u2018mostly awful\u2019 apartments. Here are five ways to fix themOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n Having rented an \u201cextremely dark\u201d apartment in Smithfield, Dublin, before moving to the Catalan capital, having good light is a big factor for Quinn. Most apartments in his area are dual aspect, and his is south facing, getting light all day \u2013 though hot in summer, he concedes.<\/p>\n Nice, France Julie-Ann Wall lived in apartments in Dublin city centre for 10 years before moving to Nice in France for work two decades ago. <\/p>\n \u201cI never knew any of my neighbours [in Dublin] … They don\u2019t have a lot of communal areas … In France it\u2019s very different.\u201d<\/p>\n Wall\u2019s experience is that apartment residents are \u201cinvested\u201d and building management meetings \u201ccan be quite emotional\u201d. In her previous Dublin apartment, \u201cnobody went to the management meetings\u201d.<\/p>\n [\u00a0Irish people who live where we holiday abroad: \u2018My only regret, I didn\u2019t move sooner\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n Wall lives in a large one-bed apartment in a 1960s building with plenty of storage. But the mix of apartment types is key to this sense of community, with three- and four-bedroom apartments accommodating different types of people and families.<\/p>\n \u201cThe age groups go from people in their 20s to someone who is almost 100.\u201d The different generations of neighbours in her apartment building all interact. \u201cThis gives it a nicer atmosphere.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cIt feels like people are here for the long term rather than seeing it as a temporary home,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n For Wall, the two concierges, who have worked at the block for more than 30 years, are key to this atmosphere. \u201cThey just see everything, and know everything that\u2019s going on. So they do a bit of cleaning, co-ordinating plumbers, and so on, and that really makes a big difference.\u201d The concierges in her building also help to \u201cbring everyone together\u201d by organising social events. <\/p>\n When she returns to Co Offaly, Wall encounters people who struggle with the concept of not having \u201ctheir own front door\u201d. But for her the apartment firmly feels like home. <\/p>\n \u201cStandards are a factor in Irish attitudes,\u201d says Orla Hegarty, assistant professor at UCD\u2019s School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy.<\/p>\n She notes how Ireland has \u201chad this steady deterioration of standards\u201d. Space is one of the key declines in the latest apartment planning guidelines, introduced last year. Allowing a 32sq m studio is the equivalent of \u201ctwo parking spaces with a bathroom and a wardrobe … so small you need air conditioning to ventilate it\u201d, says Hegarty. <\/p>\n The guidelines\u2019 provision for fewer balconies and outdoor spaces will have an impact on \u201cmental health<\/a>\u201d and where people actually want to live, says Hegarty. She bemoans the \u201ccontinuous picking away\u201d at Irish apartment standards.<\/p>\n The change in guidelines also allows for one lift on long corridors with many apartments, Hegarty says. While hotels with long corridors are monitored, in such blocks you won\u2019t know your neighbours and it can feel unsafe if there\u2019s no security, she says. <\/p>\n [\u00a0\u2018I grew up in an apartment in another country. I bought an apartment in Dublin and had to get out after a year\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n She notes how concierges are commonplace in apartments in other countries. They \u201ckeep the peace and security\u201d and help to \u201cbuild community and give people a reason to behave well\u201d. A strong mix of socio-demographics is also important to building community, she says. <\/p>\n Unlike countries such as France, Ireland was slow to purpose-build apartment blocks. Historically in Ireland flats were converted buildings of a poor standard and were seen as a short-term measure, says Hegarty. \u201cWe only got going [building apartments] in the 1990s, and apartments in Dublin were generally built to a poor standard \u2013 with long corridors, no soundproofing or storage.\u201d <\/p>\n![\"Donal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/3CX7IMEURBHIPBYEVVMR5FFG5U.jpg\")
Donal Quinn, pictured at his apartment in Barcelona, Spain. Photograph: Cathy Loughran for The Irish Times <\/p>\n![\"Julie-Ann](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/F3ZG7VPE5RGFNDSZMBXPZYM3BE.jpg\")
Julie-Ann Wall, who lives in Nice, France. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill <\/p>\n![\"Orla](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/YCOPXKJ4SBDT3JRZBICPYB6LIE.jpeg\")
Orla Hegarty of UCD <\/p>\n
![\"Damien](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/M6L7DQ5BVBHIZBNEOQCS7IOS4I.jpg\")
Damien Lynch in Frankfurt <\/p>\n