Being in Dublin, I've met quite a few of the Fair City cast. A lot of them would drink in a pub I would frequent where everyone knew each other. A friend of mine went out with one for a while, and another actor stayed at my brother in law's place for a bit. Years ago when I was unemployed in my home town, another actor who had been quite prominent in the show was next to me in the dole queue...oddly, prior to FC, he had previously worked in the same place that I had (albeit before I had the job). It's mad here in Ireland, it's a very small world.
As for the big soaps, I've never met anyone, but did sit a few feet across from Nick Miles (ED's Jimmy King) in a restaurant once.