MOST OF THE we interviewed had been recruited directly from Ireland to go and train in various hospitals across Britain. As they embarked on their careers, most were around 18 years of age, had recently left school, and had never been away from home before. In this chapter, we hear their stories of that initial journey from Ireland to Britain.

Although they had applied for nurse training in British hospitals with varied levels of enthusiasm, when it came to actually leaving home for the first time, as we will see below, many felt sad, tearful and nervous about what lay ahead.

Nonetheless, for most of these young people, there was also an enormous sense of adventure as they embarked upon a new chapter in their lives. For some, this was about fulfilling their long-held dream of becoming a nurse, while for others, it was about the opportunities to get away from rural Ireland and experience the bright lights and excitement of cities like London or Liverpool. However, as we will hear later in this chapter, their first impressions did not always live up to their expectations.

This chapter begins with memories of their initial journey to Britain including rough sea-crossings on cattle boats as well as some intrepid travel on aeroplanes.

Although it was a defining moment in their lives, some nurses had only vague recollections of that first initial journey from Ireland to Britain.

Dervla: “That was in January, I can’t remember the exact date”.

Pauline: “I’m really trying to think. I must have flown really but I honestly don’t know how I got there either, it’s all very vague”.

Trisha: ”I can’t remember how I came over, whether I flew or whether I went on the boat”.

With the passage of time, precise details about events that occurred more than 50 years ago can become hazy and imprecise. Considering that our interviewees travelled back and forth to Ireland at least once per year, or indeed, several times per year, for the rest of their lives, it is not too surprising that they cannot recall the exact dates and details of their first journey.

However, by contrast, others had very clear memories of the day, month and year of their first journey to Britain. In such cases, their memories were usually helped by the fact that the date held some particular significance, such as being close to their birthday, and hence was easier to recall.

For example, Bronagh remembered the date very clearly, “On 12 March 1965, which was three days before my 18th birthday. I came on the Sunday and Tuesday was my 18th birthday”. Student nurses needed to be 18 before they could commence training, hence, many arrived on or just before this birthday. Fidelma recalled arriving in March 1966: “I wasn’t even 18 then. My birthday was in April”.

Mary Hazard, in nurse........

© TheJournal