10 things that were in every NI Granny's house
Whether you were from Armagh or Antrim, Catholic or Protestant, city or countryside, there's a strange and wonderful overlap in the memories we all share of our grannies' homes.
There was something deeply comforting about visiting your granny's house, no matter where in Northern Ireland you were. Whether you called her Granny, Nana, or Nanny, her house was a time capsule.
Granny’s house didn’t change with the times. While the outside world moved on, inside her sitting room was a world of its own. It was often warm, cluttered, and a little bit magical. The television had only a few channels, the biscuits were kept under lock and key (usually in a tin), and her mantelpiece told you everything you needed to know about her values, her generation, and her fierce pride in home and family.
Whether you were from Armagh or Antrim, Catholic or Protestant, city or countryside, there's a strange and wonderful overlap in the memories we all share of our grannies' homes. Here are 10 things that were almost definitely part of that world.
A Framed Picture of Someone Holy or Royal
Catholic homes had the Pope, the Sacred Heart, and maybe even JFK. Protestant grannies had Queen Elizabeth II, sometimes with a wee plate from her Silver Jubilee. Either way, it was pride of place on the wall.
A tin of biscuits that was actually a sewing kit
You’d get excited for a Bourbon Cream and find thimbles, pins, and a half-finished hem instead.
China ornaments that watched you
Spaniels, porcelain ladies or ceramic cottages, often arranged in symmetrical formation on a doily-covered shelf. You’d get a slap if you knocked one.
A drawer full of plastic bags
From Crazy Prices, Stewarts, Wellworths, or even Safeway if you were posh.
Plastic on the good chairs
To “keep them nice.” You’d stick to them in summer and slide off them in winter.
A fire that was always lit
Even in July. Coal, peat, or a two-bar electric heater. Whatever it was, it was roasting and comforting.
Holy water or lavender spray by the bed
One for warding off evil, the other for warding off musty pillows.
The good China cabinet
Filled with items no one was allowed to touch. Cups with gold trim, crystal glasses, maybe even a silver spoon set "for display only."
A phone table with the directory and a pen that didn’t work
Usually near the hall, complete with an address book full of relatives’ landlines and the emergency number for the priest or minister.
A bowl of potpourri
Usually in the "good room", filled with faded rose petals, wood shavings, and the faint whiff of lavender and mystery. Looked nice. Smelled odd.
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