(1857–1929)
Belfast City Hospital
Viewed as one of Northern Ireland’s leading artist, sculptor Ross Wilson (see Amy Carmichael) is also the creator of this statue of Ella Pirrie.
Born Isabella Barbour Pirrie, Ella was the first nurse in the Belfast Union Workhouse Infirmary (now the Belfast City Hospital). Pirrie’s role was transformative and her efforts led to the establishment of a formal nursing training program in Belfast, despite facing significant resistance and challenges. In 1894, Pirrie moved to Edinburgh to become the first matron at the Deaconess Hospital, Edinburgh (1894-1914), a training school for nurses. Her tenure there was marked by significant advancements in nursing education, including the establishment of a community and district nursing department. By the end of her service, over 140 nurses had been trained, with many pursuing international missions.
Nightingale was a mentor for many years, writing several letters to her in Belfast. The statue shows her holding a letter from Florence Nightingale dated 1 October 1885, which reads ‘…You have already done great things. You must be the nucleus of hope for a goodly future of trained nursing staff at Belfast Infirmary …’.
Despite her resignation in 1914 due to health issues, Pirrie continued her work as the superintendent of the Deaconess Rest Home in Edinburgh until her death in 1929.
Ella is the last of three named statues in Northern Ireland and I’m glad I’ve made an early trip to tick the nation off my list as at this point I’ve still got about 100 more to go in my journey.
A year later, Belfast erects two new women statues and I’m duty bound to do the trip all over again. Damn you feminism.
WomenstatuesUK 