'Irish nurses in the NHS', a research project run by Professor Louise Ryan, inspired part of the exhibition at Museum of the Home in London
Date: 9 August 2024
The research project, Irish nurses in the NHS, led by Prof. Louise Ryan and Grainne McPolin, with Neha Doshi helped to inform a new exhibition at the Museum of the Home.
The exhibition which opened in July 2024, uses the rooms of different migrants to tell the stories of how people from around the world have built their lives in London over time.
The Irish room is a bedroom and tells the story of a newly married couple in the 1950s – a construction worker and a nurse. The room was developed in partnership with the London Irish Centre.
Louise Ryan, Director of the Global Diversities and Inequalities Research Centre was invited to work with the team to tell the story of the Irish nurse based on the oral history project with Irish nurses in the NHS. Louise contributed by adding details about the experiences of young Irish women arriving to work in the NHS in the 1950s.
Louise commented: "For too long now, the contribution of Irish migrants has been largely overlooked, taken for granted, despite the enormous numbers of Irish men and women who came to Britain to work in all sectors of the economy. Thus, it is immensely gratifying to see Irish men and women included in this beautiful exhibition. The bedroom sensitively captures many aspects of their lives through the various artefacts, photos and personal items placed around the space."
Find out more about Irish nurses in the NHS – an oral history project.
Picture: Room of the Irish migrant from the 1950s with the nurse’s uniform hanging up in the wardrobe in Museum of the Home