When did open defecation end in rural Ireland ?

Ted Plain · 08-11-2017 09:19AM

I can remember relatives in County Dublin still having an outhouse with a bucket as recently as the 1980s. :eek: There was also a grant scheme introduced around that time and they got a proper indoors flush toilet put in soon after.

Edward M · 08-11-2017 09:42AM

Peregrinus wrote: »

Well, here's a link to a page from the census report from 1981 showing a county-by-country breakdown of farm dwellings and the "sanitary facilities" that they had. We can see, for example, that in Leitrim there were 3,798 farm dwellings, of which 1,373 had "no toilet or closet". That adds up to quite of lot of cold arse.

I do a bit of building and maintenance work, I always keep toilet roll in the car, you could be on a job where toilet facilities are either not in or not working especially in rural areas, if you got to go you got to go, find a shelters field or hedgerow. I know from experience that it still goes on.
An old lad that used to work with us always went to check out the "dunging ground" first when we were on isolated jobs with no toilet facilities.

gramar · 08-11-2017 09:54AM

It's not only rural Ireland it happens in.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/hes-a-family-man-with-a-job-local-who-repeatedly-defecated-outside-shop-caught-35088843.html

beefburrito · 08-11-2017 10:01AM

Phat Dick wrote: »

A friend of mine insists open defecation was common in rural Ireland as recently as the mid 1980s

It's quite common these days in urban areas, addict's and crack whores openly discarding their waste in public....

whisky_galore · 08-11-2017 10:15AM

beefburrito wrote: »

It's quite common these days in urban areas, addict's and crack whores openly discarding their waste in public....

Lately, passing a doorway, I spotted a 'mature' lady in a trackie sort of hunkering down as if she was going to sit...and then...there was a sound like Niagara Falls hitting concrete that reminded me of a sound that I heard last in a milking parlour.
This was 3pm in broad daylight, in full view of pedestrians.

Hitman3000 · 08-11-2017 10:20AM

whisky_galore wrote:

Lately, passing a doorway, I spotted a 'mature' lady in a trackie sort of hunkering down as if she was going to sit...and then...there was a sound like Niagara Falls hitting concrete that reminded me of a sound that I heard last in a milking parlour. This was 3pm in broad daylight, in full view of pedestrians.

She's no lady.

whisky_galore · 08-11-2017 10:42AM

Edward M wrote: »

I do a bit of building and maintenance work, I always keep toilet roll in the car, you could be on a job where toilet facilities are either not in or not working especially in rural areas, if you got to go you got to go, find a shelters field or hedgerow. I know from experience that it still goes on.
An old lad that used to work with us always went to check out the "dunging ground" first when we were on isolated jobs with no toilet facilities.

No harm having an emergency bog roll in the car!

A pair of old bachelor farmers I knew had a favourite spot, even though they had an indoor toilet...tomato plants grew there actually.

Edward M · 08-11-2017 03:02PM

whisky_galore wrote: »

No harm having an emergency bog roll in the car!

A pair of old bachelor farmers I knew had a favourite spot, even though they had an indoor toilet...tomato plants grew there actually.

I heard a story of an old lad near here used to do the same, he used to use a bunch of rushes to balance himself while squatting, one day his son topped the field including his squatting rushes, next time he went out and while squatting lost his balance and with no rushes to save himself he fell backwards in to his freshly made s**t, probably just a yarn but funny to hear a local storyteller telling it in the pub.

Cee-Jay-Cee · 08-11-2017 03:05PM

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

I once saw a big pile of faeces with a couple of sheets of pink toilet paper on it up against the wall of the AIB. This was maybe seven or eight years ago.

That’s a terrible thing to call homeless people.

freshpopcorn · 08-11-2017 03:15PM

I know people in rural areas and up to the mid 2000's they had Commode in their house which they had to empty somewhere.
These people generally just got a toilet or the district nurse calling to them helped them get a grant.(I think)
Same goes regarding showers etc. Some would be amazed at the living conditions some people have in Ireland Today and it's nothing to do with financial issues it's mainly just to how people were reared and that's what they were used to.

whisky_galore · 08-11-2017 03:27PM

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Same goes regarding showers etc. Some would be amazed at the living conditions some people have in Ireland Today and it's nothing to do with financial issues it's mainly just to how people were reared and that's what they were used to.

People just washed themselves in wash hand basins or tin baths.

Same with rubbish, pre-recycling centres. Food waste went into the dung heap to be spread on the land (or fed to the dog), jars/bottles/tins etc were fcuked into a heap. Anything that was combustible was burnt.

harry Bailey esq · 08-11-2017 03:29PM

Joeseph Balls wrote: »

Still happens regularly enough. Some folk like keeping the tradition alive. A good dock leaf can go for good money in the local.

Those little bags don't contain doc leaves Joe. And this isn't your local.
There are still more than a few traditionalists mind, mostly urban crappers nowadays. A quick stroll around town at dawn and you'll find plenty of evidence. All different sizes, shapes and shades. It's definitely not the work of just a few rogue males.

exaisle · 08-11-2017 03:33PM

Open defecation has ended?

No sh1t??

When did open defecation end in rural Ireland ?

Comments