Tales of Irish nursing during The Easter Rising and The Great War: exploring the roles played by Irish nurses in 1916

Mr Paul Horan

TCD School of Nursing and Midwifery

Paul's professional nursing research interests include Contemporary Issues in Intellectual Disability Nursing, Reflective Practice in Nursing and The History of Roles played by Irish Nurses in Wars.
Currently Paul is researching the roles played by Irish nurses and midwives during the Dublin 1916 Rising, The Great War (WW1), The Irish War of Independence (1919 - 1921) and Civil War (1922-1923). He has researched collaboratively with the descendants of nurse Margaret Kehoe, the first non-combatant fatality of The 1916 Rising. His research into circumstances of the Carlow nurse's death at the outbreak of the Rising resulted in a collaboration with nurse Kehoe's grandniece, the playwright Eleanor Cummins resulting in the production of new play about nurse Kehoe's death. "Fallen Angel" was performed by Carlow Little Theatre Society in April 2016 with the assistance of funding support from IT Carlow and Carlow County Council 2016 Committee. The play is available to view on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJcoX11ZFTI.It depicts the events surrounding nurse Kehoe's fatal shooting in Easter 1916 in the grounds of South Dublin Union (now St James's Hospital in Dublin) featuring Assistant Matron Mannion's reflections on the events of Easter week 1916 and also the thoughts of the future GAA President who nurse Kehoe was going to assist when she was shot. Paul also gave the oration at the unveiling of a new monument to nurse Kehoe in her hometown of Leighinbridge, Co Carlow in March.
Paul has also carried out extensive collaborative research with the descendants of executed 1916 Leader Micéal O'hAnnrachain. This research spawned "The O'Hanrahan Chronicles Exhibition" which illuminates the extraordinary story of a little known and significant Irish revolutionary family of the period. The exhibition is based on a research collaboration by Paul with Michael O'Hanrahan's grandnephews Pearse O'Hanrahan PC and Harry O'Hanrahan. The exhibition friezes were designed by Design Core at IT Carlow and funded by IT Carlow. The O'Hanrahan Chronicles Exhibition was launched at IT Carlow in March 2016. Dr Catriona Crowe, Director of the National Archives launched the exhibition at Dundalk Museum in July.
Paul acted as advisor to the IT Carlow's 1916 Commemorative Programme of Events and played a key role in bringing about the Institute's 1916 Commemorative Lecture Series. Paul collaborated with RTE Nationwide presenter Mary Kennedy to launch IT Carlow's 1916 commemorative lecture series also facilitated and delivered a number of the lectures. He also contributed to the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin's 1916 Commemorative Civic Engagement Lecture series.
Paul's investigations of the experiences of nurses, midwives and bereaved families of 1916 has been featured and published by local, national and international media outlets and even mentioned on RTE Radio's Morning Ireland 'It Says in the Papers'. Paul also wrote at a 1916 series of articles for his newspaper column "Horan's Histories" for "The Carlow Nationalist" newspaper which continues Paul's family's proud three-century connection with the newspaper. A poem based on the experiences of 1916 nurses by Paul's poetic alter ego Paul Francis Horan has also been also been published. Paul has spoken about his research at a conferences and events through Ireland and internationally.