Irish Experiences of Caregiving in Conflict: An introduction to the Literature Review

This presentation is an introduction to a literature review for a PhD titled Caregiving in Conflict: The Irish Experience (A history and analysis of the contributions made by Irish nurses and caregivers to casualty care in 20th century conflicts). It explores the experiences of Irish doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, and caregivers who were involved in combatant care and post-combat recovery.

The PhD is funded by the South East Regional Development Scholarship Programme. It is supervised by Prof. John Wells (Waterford), Dr Brian Jackson (Carlow), and Dr Elaine Callinan (Carlow). The research project is based at the O’Connell Bianconi Centre for the History of Healthcare in Wars and Conflicts at the Luke Wadding Library.

The aim of this research is to discuss primary and secondary sources that have been identified for the literature review and to place them in historical context. Research has focused on the 1900-1947 period, which encompasses global conflicts such as the First and Second World Wars, and national conflicts such as the Easter Rising, Irish War of Independence, and Civil War. It involves discussing Irish doctors who joined the Royal Army Medical Corps during the First and Second World Wars and Irish men and women who became caregivers in the revolutionary period. Archival sources from military, governmental, religious, genealogical, and heritage institutions in Ireland and Britain will be discussed.

Later stages of the PhD will involve the acquisition and digitisation of donated archival materials about professional and voluntary Irish caregivers. Interviews will be carried out with relatives of people who were involved in casualty care in twentieth-century conflicts. Archives will be uploaded to a digital repository that the public can access. The project will contribute to people’s understanding of the historical legacy of Irish caregivers and will encourage public engagement.