Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Louise Ryan and Grainne McPolin present an oral history project involving 40 Irish nurses who worked in the NHS during the 1950s-60s.
From its inception in 1948, through the 1950s-70s, Irish women were amongst the largest groups directly recruited to train and work as nurses in the NHS. This presentation draws upon an oral history project, led by Louise Ryan and Grainne McPolin, involving over 40 Irish-born nurses across Britain, and explores the women's stories of recruitment, training and early experiences on the wards during the 1950s-60s. The photographs accompanying this project were taken by photographer Fiona Freund, and funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing.
To learn more about the RCN History of Nursing Forum, view their website: rcn.org.uk/get-involved/forums/history-of-nursing-forum
This session was held online in October 2023.
Louise Ryan and Grainne McPolin present an oral history project involving 40 Irish nurses who worked in the NHS during the 1950s-60s.
From its inception in 1948, through the 1950s-70s, Irish women were amongst the largest groups directly recruited to train and work as nurses in the NHS. This presentation draws upon an oral history project, led by Louise Ryan and Grainne McPolin, involving over 40 Irish-born nurses across Britain, and explores the women's stories of recruitment, training and early experiences on the wards during the 1950s-60s. The photographs accompanying this project were taken by photographer Fiona Freund, and funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing.
To learn more about the RCN History of Nursing Forum, view their website: rcn.org.uk/get-involved/forums/history-of-nursing-forum
This session was held online in October 2023.
