Nursing through the Troubles

Eric Wilkinson and Margaret Graham from RCN History of Nursing Society Northern Ireland would like to hear from you

The outbreak of civil unrest in Northern Ireland in 1969/70 (commonly called the Troubles) affected every aspect of private, public and professional life.

Much of this has been reported and studied through the years regarding the physical, emotional and psychological effects on those affected.

Indeed hospitals, community health and emergency services throughout Northern Ireland were at the forefront of responding to all incidents and as result many advances in medical practice resulted from the conflict, including in microsurgery and prosthetics. 

The nursing workforce across Northern Ireland was at the frontline in service delivery and had to adapt to treating and caring for casualties within all disciplines of care.

Caring for a casualty injured by a bomb or bullet meant nurses had to adapt their professionally acquired knowledge and skills of caring for patients, often learning from the outcomes from previous cases.

Despite the significant study and media attention given to the Troubles and various individuals and groups involved, there has been no comprehensive account made of what it was like to nurse at any level or discipline from student to matron, hospital to community throughout this period.

The Northern Ireland History of Nursing Society wants to record the ‘real life’ stories of nurses in a way that reflects the diversity of nursing across all service areas and all regions in the province during this prolonged period of unrest.

How dealing with the casualties of bomb, bullets and barricades affected their personal and professional lives and how and in what way did they learn to adapt and cope with these often distressing and emotionally charged situations. Please contact either Eric WilkinsonER@aol.com or Margaret mgraham890@googlemail.com to contribute.