Derry's new Nightingale exhibition pays tribute to nursing and midwifery heroes

A special exhibition celebrating the vital work of local nurses and midwives has launched in the Tower Museum, focusing on the remarkable contribution they have made to society over the past two centuries.

The temporary collection, which runs until July 3, has been developed in partnership with Ulster University's School of Nursing, based in the city.

It will cover themes including nursing in wartime, nursing during the Troubles and nursing education and innovation in the North.

It will also shine the spotlight on some of the inspirational individuals who led the way in the field of nursing, including Florence Nightingale, Ella Pirrie and Agnes Jones, whose work brought about many positive healthcare reforms.

Among the collection are some exciting pieces of archive material including an original voice recording of Florence Nightingale along with audio accounts of the work of today's nurses and midwives, as well as a short film on their response to the Covid pandemic.

Curator at the Tower Museum, Roisin Doherty, said the exhibition would reveal more about the ground breaking work of nurses through the years.

"We are delighted as a museum to have the opportunity to showcase this work and to celebrate our nurses and midwives at a time when we have gained a whole new perspective of their caring role.

"While we've all heard of figures like Florence Nightingale, this also tells the story of the everyday healthcare heroes that we have come to rely on. It's a privilege to provide a platform for them to tell their own story through this important collection."

Sonja McIlfatrick, Head of the School of Nursing at Ulster University, said: "This opportunity to explore the contribution of nurses and midwives over the past two centuries is timely since never before in our lifetime, has our profession been so visible, so vital and so valued. 

"At Ulster's School of Nursing based at Magee campus we are proud of the generations of commitment and talent making an impact in our community.

Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Alderman Graham Warke, pictured with Prof. Martin Bradley, secretary of Florence Nightingale Foundation Committee NI and, from right, student nurse Isabel Stephenson (Studying at the School of Nursing, University of Ulster Magee), and Roisin Doherty, curator, at the launch of the Florence Nightingale and Nursing in Ireland Exhibition in the Tower Museum. Photos: Tom Heaney (nwpresspics)

"Nurses and midwives in health and social care teams have risen heroically to the challenges presented by the pandemic over the past two years, and they follow in the footsteps of the very many pioneers, reformers, educators, researchers, clinicians, and care givers who have gone before, in this city and beyond.”

She concluded: ”As the School of Nursing continues to encourage and teach the nurses of tomorrow and support the ongoing professional development of others already in the workforce, this informative and inspirational exhibition uncovers the people who have made nursing their career, changed lives and given so much to so many."