Sir, – As a child going on Sunday walks with my father and siblings, I thought Dad knew everybody in Cork. I assumed if he was speaking to someone coming against us he must know them. Why else would you strike up a conversation?Anyone coming against us would get a “Not a bad day” or “We could do with a drop of rain” or simply “How are ya” and then on our way. Mike Murphy, when he used to present a morning programme in the slot now occupied by Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1 called it the howya-howya relationship.You might not know a single thing about this person coming against you (or necessarily want to) but it was customary to exchange pleasantries. The exchange and response depended on who got there first. It was known universally, or at least in Cork, as “saluting” someone.Anybody who has ever lived or visited New York or London will realise how entirely uncommon it is in those jurisdictions. Until recently I would have thought the howya-howya/saluting relationship was alive and well but in recent times I’ve noticed a distinct lack of response to the “Not a bad day” or “We could do with a drop of rain” or “How are ya” while walking the family mutt early in the morning before work in our excellent local Tramore Valley Park.I would be interested to determine whether “saluting” is indeed in decline in other parts. What a shame it would be if it was. – Yours, etc,CHRIS DORGAN,Frankfield, Grange,Cork