'I think I forgot to empty 'Mrs White''

'I think I forgot to empty 'Mrs White''

Ita McClelland describes the toilet facilities at her home growing up and her Aunt Mary's commode, nicknamed 'Mrs White'.

Ita McClelland

Trinity College Dublin

1960

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Ita McClelland

Childhood and Early Life

Life Story

Co. Armagh

1960's

All water supplies were from wells. The water was pumped into buckets and carried into the house. As for bathrooms, they were non-existent in country houses, except the grand ones. We had a dry toilet in a little shed about ten yards from the house. It was referred to as 'the wee house' and in the winter evenings we girls used to take a parent or a brother to stand guard outside as it was very dark in there.Now my Aunt Mary who lived with us always kept a commode under the bed 'just for emergencies'. This appliance was referred to as 'Mrs. White'. Having still cousins in Scotland she used to go off to visit them almost every year unless it was their turn to come to us. When she was there we used to walk to Lislea Post Office and ring her from the public phone box. On one such occasion after she'd been gone for about three or four days she whispered down the phone to me 'I think I forgot to empty 'Mrs. White''. There was quite a scurry up the stairs when I got home because Mary wasn't due home for another week or so!

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)