Pop-Up Exhibition: Irish Nurses in the NHS

The Florence Nightingale Museum will be home to a very exciting pop-up exhibition for a week in November!

From the very beginning, in 1948, the National Health Service (NHS) actively recruited Irish women and men to train and work as nurses in British hospitals. By the 1960s approximately 30,000 Irish-born nurses were working across the institution, making up around 12% of all nursing staff.

Irish Nurses in the NHS is a collection of photographs and moving corresponding stories created from in-depth interviews exploring the life experiences of these Irish nurses working within the National Health Services in Britain. This collection of oral histories brings to life the experiences of these groundbreaking nurses, both in the hospital and outside. 

“The voices are wonderful – charming and funny, yet serious and revealing … The warmth of these women’s voices is palpable, one feels what they must have been like on the ward, busy, hardworking but also chatty and fun.” –Martina Evans, Irish Times

This exhibition has rarely been displayed in England and will be included in all general admission tickets to the museum.

Tickets

More information

Tuesday 4th – Sunday 9th November 

This exhibition is based off of the book, Irish Nurses in the NHS, based on 45 interviews, this book tells the stories of Irish nurses in their own words using rich oral history and photographs.

The team behind this book are:

Louise Ryan a Senior Professor of Sociology and director of the Global Diversities and In equalities research centre London Metropolitan University.

Gráinne McPolin a radio producer and podcaster. She is also a former nurse, having spent many years of her career working in Britain’s NHS hospitals.

Neha Doshi a PhD researcher and Associate Lecturer also at London Metropolitan University.

If you are interested in a deeper dive into these stories, the book is available to purchase through our website here.