Poor SIL, apparently she has notions

[DurtBurd]

SIL has spent the last 18 months building a gorgeous mansion house on family land in the rural Midlands (of Ireland, for those who don't realise they've clicked on a Craicnet thread). She has decided she wants people to use her actual front door rather than coming round the back of the house and in through the utility room. It's like the barely healed civil war wounds have been hacked open. As a Dub without a back door fetish (get your mind out of the gutter), I fully support her front door notions. Dh is horrified. MIL is mortified and wondering what the neighbours will think. It's all great craic.

Fond memories of my mammy from this thread. The front door was always locked.

I do remember strangers visiting one day, parking at the big gate (only place they could park) then walking along 3/4 length of the (long) house to the front door to ring the bell. First time I had ever heard the thing - it was school holidays and we lived in the middle of nowhere.

They had to walk past (or at least see if they chose to walk back down the main road and through the garden gate) the side door by the big gate with a huge cast iron knocker on it to get to the ornamental front door surrounded by the charming flower beds to do this, only to have to walk back up because my mammy answered the side door and stood there until they did. Trespassers!

Whatever they were selling, she definitely wasn't buying it.

Police or Priest may have warranted the front door being opened, maybe.

If it helps, east and west Cork do different driver mini-waves.

I’ve lived in a semi-derelict house on a building site for so long, I’m going to fully embrace my notions once I actually have a front door.

I remember us all being home at Granny's. All of us being about 25 people. And then the door bell rang. It was panic stations, it was decided that my then teenage brother had to answer, as it could only be the Guards ringing the doorbell.
It was a bewildered door to door sales man who was totally freaking out at all these faces peering out of every window at him!

I've never used the front door at any of my rural relatives, barring following a coffin out.

Brilliant thread. I would always dream about coming from a big family in the south instead of a big family in N.Ireland. The family politics ideas above your station etc. I am in heaven reading all the responses. Grannys house everyone came in the front door as the back was enclosed behind a huge wall but all family sat in the kitchen only visitors were took into the parlour and served tea and cake and only the sons wives got ideas above their stations. The rest of us was far from the parlour we were reared. Brings back so many memories 🥰

What's a dub? I'm Ne Scotland so forgive my ignorance.

We're having a major bit of building happening at the back of our house. Scaffolding, mud, path all dug up, no access at all but folk are STILL coming round the back.

It's also a Sottish thing to leave through the same door you came in. So was using the back door, growing up only very important visitors or strangers came to the front door.

Someone from Dublin (and sometimes used to just mean working class from Dublin).

3 bed semi in the city, town, suburbs - front door (only option).

Detached house in the country (i.e. a big site) - back door for family, friends and neighbours, front door for strangers or formalities (priest, police, coffin).

I think. But I'm only from Dublin, sure what would I know.

I'm from rural west coast of Scotland. Similar rules apply! Our back door was never locked. It was almost acceptable to attempt entering via the side door but never the front door. Only time it was used was to bring a wardrobe into the house. Also, permanently locked.

I live in rural lreland with a farming background. We did use the back door on the farm. But now, we use the front and so do all my siblings in their "mansions" throughout the countryside.. Same with all my friends. We must all have developed notions when we escaped that farm. I only use the backdoor to hang out clothes and go to the bin. I would be totally thrown off if someone walked round there.

I was told this leaving through the same door you came in was a Welsh thing recently. I'd never come across it in Ireland (or England) but most of my Irish family and friends live in Dublin where the front door is really the only option unless you start jumping garden walls.
You definitely use the back door or side door when visiting the culchie relatives though. I've been taught that very clearly 😂 one cousin built a lovely country mansion with a stunning front door that you walk past to enter through the side door. I did wonder why they bothered to build the front door at all but I think it's probably been used by the Garda a few times to return a wayward teenager or two

This is my favourite thread in forever.

You’re missing the point, it’s not about visitor convenience at all 😂

Same! Absolutely brilliant.

I’ve just had a discussion with my elderly dad about this as I remember it as a child in Scotland. If there was a back or side door option, it was always used. Thanks OP and everyone not just for the stories but for promoting a lovely chat with my dad ❤️

I think the coming and going through the same door is a pre-Christian thing. Like a spiritual, 'they' can't get you if you retrace your steps.

Well she wouldn't last long here in Yorkshire, back door all the way
Unless its behind a locked gate like ours.
My Mum was Southern and was horrified at locals using her back door, but then she was horrified at a lot of things she considered "common", such as Ice Cream vans .
Even worse it wasn't unusual for people to just knock on the back door a couple of times and then walk in.

Yep and if you're a friend of one who has a back door you use it.

The front door is like the front room, for proper visitors only.

@turkeyboots I just love this story. I'm laughing picturing that bewildered man's face and all the faces peering out at him!

When we got married we came down one aisle and out the other and that was not the done thing, you'd think superstition would stay out of Church 😂 especially since the minister was the first to raise it you'd have thought we swung up the aisle naked too hear some of the older guests with their it's doomed proclamations.

Well we are still married twenty odd years later but have had unusual amounts of bad luck, strangely. Obviously coincidence...?

The fenced in area of my nanny's farm that contained a fairy thorn was another story.

@thisiswheretheseagullfliesaway don't mess with the fairies!

Tis far from here she was raised - I can hear my granny saying about those with 'notions'

@JudyP mine said forget the bowl she was baked in

Mine too!!

Worse than that, the neighbours didn't even knock at my parents' most of the time - they just walked in the unlocked door!