I'm Mary Watson, the Education Officer at the White House Museum. I was born in Bangor and moved to Carrickfergus when I was nine years old. At the tender age of seventeen I decided to seek my fortune in England.

I started work as a tax officer in Salford but ‘retired’ on the birth of my first daughter. I juggled motherhood and college during the next five years and trained as a primary teacher. I enjoyed many years teaching in schools all over the North West of England followed by a period in a training and  advisory role.

I returned to Northern Ireland in January 2009 to settle in the beautiful village of Carnlough on the Antrim Coast. I have two daughters, Alison and Alexandra, and two grandchildren, Ellis and Katie who visit frequently from their homes in England and Wales. I delight in anything historical and in any spare time make and decorate cakes for special occasions.

In December 2009 I was appointed as Education Officer to the White House Heritage Centre. I am looking forward to sharing its wonderful history and the story it tells to the people of Northern Ireland and beyond.

Oh! I never did find that fortune in England - but I have realised how many real treasures are right here in Northern Ireland!