International Nurses Day 2025 was celebrated in various ways by many organisations and individuals across the island of Ireland on May 12. This year’s theme was: ‘Our nurses. Our future. The economic power of care’ – which aimed to highlight the significant economic contribution of nurses to healthcare and the importance of investing in their physical, mental, and emotional health to boost retention, reduce burnout, and enhance care quality.
Carers that ‘also need to be cared for’
Leinster House welcomed a group of nursing representatives, including President of The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) Dr Louise Kavanagh McBride, to mark International Nurses’ Day. The event was organised by Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South Central Máire Devine, who is a registered psychiatric nurse. “I’m so proud to invite colleagues and friends from the nursing industry to celebrate International Nurses’ Day here in Leinster House,” she said.
“Across this island, there are approximately 120,000 registered practising nurses and midwives. We are the backbone of healthcare delivery, the glue that holds the health service together and keeps it performing, albeit often in shaky and sometimes unsafe environments. We know that nurses are carers, but they also need to be cared for. Our healthcare systems are in trouble and we know that the insecurity of working in poor environments, with so many vacancies, can compromise patient care at times.
“The system has been shaken to the core by the rapid and steady exit of nurses and medical professionals to greener pastures abroad. It’s estimated that approximately 25,000 Irish qualified nurses and midwives have decided to leave the healthcare system in the past 20 years, not including retirements, at a time when the population of the State is also ageing. This is not unique to Ireland, it is a global phenomenon, and our unions and statutory agencies have campaigned on this for many years. We’re now heavily reliant on agency staff and recruiting internationally, which poses its own issues.
“Everyone is entitled to look for a better life, as our nurses have done abroad, but the solution is not just recruitment, it is retention. That requires a strong commitment to the existing nursing workforce in terms of pay, working conditions, safety, respect, support, and professional development. Crucially, we must also increase the availability of affordable housing and efficient public transport.
“I also want to acknowledge all the healthcare professionals who have been killed and injured in Palestine in the ongoing horrific violent attacks on health infrastructure. What they have endured is truly abominable.”
Other speakers at the Leinster House event included Pat Cullen, Sinn Féin MP for Fermanagh and Tyrone, and former General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing; Michael Hayes, Psychiatric Nurses Association; and Tony Fitzpatrick, Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
Story sharing and personal insights
HSE Dublin and Midlands celebrated International Nurses Day 2025 by compiling a video collection of personal stories shared by nurses from across the region to celebrate the day and highlight the nature of their work, which can be viewed at: www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/acute-hospitals-division/hospital-groups/dublin-midlands-hospital-group/news/hse-dublin-and-midlands-celebrates-international-nurses-day-2025.html
Many of the nursing staff from across the area shared their personal experiences, insights, and future aspirations to mark the day.
Josy Abraham, Clinical Nurse Manager 1, Naas General Hospital, said: “On this International Nurses’ Day celebration, as nurses we are playing a vital role in patient care and advocacy. I became a nurse to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives by providing holistic care. Looking ahead, I aspire to advance my career in nursing management and leadership and to inspire the next generation to uphold the values of our noble profession.”
Catriona Murray, Midlands Clinical Nurse Specialist Suicide Crisis Assessment, said: “From a very young age, as a child, my parents instilled core values of care, compassion, empathy, and understanding. I love meeting people, I consider myself a people person, a sociable person. I like to get to know people, hear their life stories and their life experiences, what’s shaped their lives, and what has led them to a mental health crisis at this point in their lives.”
Sheila McShane, Staff Nurse in Sheaf Mental Health Services, Tallaght, said: “Working in the Home Base Treatment Team is such a unique role. We meet people in crisis where they feel safest, in their own homes.
“Providing early intervention that builds trust in a truly person-centred compassionate way. Our work is about understanding stories, making connections, and seeing the person behind the illness.”
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