diff --git a/datalad_ria/tests/test_ssh_remote_io.py b/datalad_ria/tests/test_ssh_remote_io.py
index bf0fcd1b..5964b571 100644
--- a/datalad_ria/tests/test_ssh_remote_io.py
+++ b/datalad_ria/tests/test_ssh_remote_io.py
@@ -1,11 +1,45 @@
+from pathlib import PurePosixPath
+import pytest
+
 from datalad.distributed.ora_remote import SSHRemoteIO
 
 
-def test_SSHRemoteIO_basics(ria_sshserver_setup, ria_sshserver):
-    # basic smoke test, just login and use the abstraction to read a file
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=False, scope="function")
+def ssh_remoteio(ria_sshserver_setup, ria_sshserver):
     ssh = SSHRemoteIO(
         'ssh://{SSH_LOGIN}@{HOST}:{SSH_PORT}'.format(**ria_sshserver_setup)
     )
-    etcpasswd = ssh.read_file('/etc/passwd')
+    yield ssh
+
+
+def test_SSHRemoteIO_read_file(ssh_remoteio):
+    # basic smoke test, just login and use the abstraction to read a file
+    etcpasswd = ssh_remoteio.read_file('/etc/passwd')
     # we can assume that the remote /etc/passwd file is not empty
     assert etcpasswd
+
+
+def test_SSHRemoteIO_handledir(ssh_remoteio, ria_sshserver_setup):
+    sshpath = PurePosixPath(ria_sshserver_setup['SSH_PATH'])
+    targetdir = sshpath / 'testdir'
+    assert not ssh_remoteio.exists(targetdir)
+    ssh_remoteio.mkdir(targetdir)
+    assert ssh_remoteio.exists(targetdir)
+    # place a file in that directory to check the impact of its presence
+    # on directory deletion
+    targetfpath = targetdir / 'testfile'
+    ssh_remoteio.write_file(targetfpath, 'dummy')
+    assert ssh_remoteio.exists(targetfpath)
+
+    # XXX calling remove_dir()has no effect, and causes no error!!!
+    ssh_remoteio.remove_dir(targetdir)
+    assert ssh_remoteio.exists(targetdir)
+
+    # we must "know" that there is content and remove it
+    ssh_remoteio.remove(targetfpath)
+    assert not ssh_remoteio.exists(targetfpath)
+
+    # XXX remove() cannot do it, we have to use remove_dir()
+    # ssh_remoteio.remove(targetdir)
+    ssh_remoteio.remove_dir(targetdir)
+    assert not ssh_remoteio.exists(targetdir)