Alexandra Nurses Home Curragh Camp

[Matt McNamara]

I came accross this piece of information while surfing the web. Has anybody ever heard of Alexandra Nurses Home Curragh Camp and if so where was it ?

The Association’s first nurse was appointed to Curragh Camp in Dublin in 1892. Mrs Norah Diamond was paid £70 a year plus an allowance for coal and provided with a furnished hut rent free. She was certainly a hard worker. In her first two months she made 300 nursing visits and many more simply giving advice.

She probably cheered up five years later when a garden fete at Chelsea Hospital, attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales, raised money to build her a home in the centre of Curragh camp. It was to be called the Alexandra Nurses Home. Mrs Diamond served for 30 years until her retirement in 1922. In 1898 the Princess of Wales consented to the Association’s nurses being known as Alexandra Nurses.

[ME]

Queen Alexandra Nurses are British Army nurses and they still exist. There is another branch working with British Army families abroad called SAFA or SAFFA.
Curragh Hospital history may reveal where the 'Nurses HUT' might have been situated.

The role you describe is normal within the UK system, where there is Acute & Preventive (Community) care.
EG, in Community, District nurses deal with the sick dressing wounds etc. Home Health Visitors deal with families, mostly mothers new babies and school children by identifying a problem early to stop or prevent it getting worse.
EG. Advice on adult personal health: Parenting skills; Child development/problems; Post natel depression; Domestic violence; Preventing juvenile delinquency among other issues.

Pity the Irish Army didn't follow this good practice left by the British and still carried on today in the UK whether one is in the army or not.
There may have been some vestage of EQUALITY for the Curragh women and children.

[Lillywhite]

Anyone got a comment?

[liz]

www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/highlights.jsp?county=KD&list=true


Found a really interesting site on buildings of the curragh in it is mentioned the nurses home i think it is situated just down from the hospital.
Hopefully the link above will get you to the site.

[Lillywhite]

Sorry Liz.........I tried to access the site but a no..no!!

[liz]

hi,
try copy and paste it to your search bar... worked for me. x liz

[Lillywhite]

Just wanted to see it. Again.
Have always known it was there. As a matter of fact I'm one of the Alex contingent now.

[Lillywhite]

Forgot to say location.
Alexandra House is situated half way up the hill from the Curragh picture house, nearly opposite Joan Mac Ateers old shop and across from the post office.
Military police there now I think.

[Kentgal]

Re- Curragh History - Norah Diamond Community Nurse 'Health Visiting' Camp residents 1892.
It is rumoured that a Curragh Camp girl followed in Norahs footsteps 100 years (a century later) in 1992 to the day!!!.
Anybody know who this person might be?

[Guest]

Anyone know the identify?