Anyone who was at secondary school in Ireland in the 90s...

[AppropriateAdult]

Were there tampon/pad dispensers in the bathrooms at your school? And if so, were they coin-operated or free?

(I'm writing a piece for which this is relevant and can't for the life of me remember what the situation was at my school. Any info much appreciated.)

Yes and almost sure it was coin operated too. We had a new school so they were brand new & worked well. But always brought my own anyway.

Did my leaving in 97. Rural convent, all girls school. I don't remember any dispensers. My period arrived unexpectedly one day and I had to go to the office for a pad. The secretary there was so lovely. I had terrible period pain in school (and a mother who didn't give a shit ) and frequently passed out and ended up in the office and that lady was so nice to me always.

We did have sanitary bins though.

I was in secondary school (in a community school) in the late 70s and early 80s. We had coin operated tampon and pad machines. They were mostly unstocked or jammed iirc.

My school was on the southside of Dublin

Actually, I remember all the girls in my year getting a detention because someone had written on the wall of the loo designated to our year, complaining that the 'fucking jam rag machine' was broken again. This was probably in 1979 or 80.

North Dublin, late 90s, I don't remember any. Also wasn't aware of any teachers we could ask. Maybe because it was a mixed school this stuff didn't get discussed.

Leaving Cert. in 1995 in a rural town. Definitely no dispensers then.

Leaving cert in 1997 in an all-girls convent in a rural town. I dont think there was anything like that at all. Can’t remember if there were sanitary bins in the newer building but definitely not in the older part where the nuns lived.

Convent school in Dublin, 96-02, there was always a machine but it was a crapshoot as to whether it worked.

My school had rusty old machines that were always empty