I was delighted to be asked by Louise Ryan, at London Metropolitan University, and Grainne McPolin, radio producer and former nurse, to photograph these amazing women who have been a huge part of the NHS for decades.
It has been such a pleasure to work on creating these portraits. I have learnt so much and heard many wonderful stories. These nurses still take great pride in their careers, it has been a privilege and an honour to capture their youthful energy and humour.
Irish Nurses was displayed at the London Irish Centre for St Patrick’s Day in March 2023 and at the London Metropolitan University some images appeared in Louise Ryan’s book Irish Nurses in the NHS.
“This is a three-year project (2022-24) aiming to capture the hitherto untold stories of Irish Nurses in the NHS in words, audio stories and through photographs.
The project involves interviewing Irish-born nurses who migrated to Britain to train and work in British hospitals from the establishment of the NHS in 1948 through the 1950s and up to the early 1970s.
The work is funded by the London Irish Centre, Liverpool Institute of Irish Studies, Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs (Irish Abroad Unit).
This photography project was made possible through the generosity of the Burdett Trust for Nursing.
We would like to thank the Irish nurses for their invaluable contribution to this important photo-story “
Louise Ryan
