Mayo tree planting to honour Irish NHS nurses

THE Irish nurses who have served in the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK are to be honoured at a tree planting ceremony in Co. Mayo.

Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, Emeritus Professor of Nursing at the University of West London, will plant the tree in August to recognise the 30,000 Irish nurses who have worked in the NHS, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

Dame Anionwu has been named among the Cherishing the Irish Diaspora Awards recipients, which will be presented by the Mayo Emigrant Liaison Committee during her visit to the county.

She was invited to take part in the service celebrated in Westminster Abbey last week to mark 75 years of the NHS. She also played a key role at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

Dame Anionwu is of Irish/Nigerian heritage, her ancestors coming from Athlone and Wexford.

Many Mayo people have left their mark on healthcare in the UK over the years.

Emily McManus, whose roots were in Killeadan House in Bohola, was a former matron of Guys Hospital and was awarded an OBE.

More recently, Castlebar native Professor Brian Dolan, OBE, has led a global movement to encourage patients to get up, dressed and moving while in hospital to reduce the risk of falls, pressure ulcers and the length they spend in hospital.