In February 1919, 20 nurses and midwives meeting in Dublin to discuss their poor working conditions took a historic decision to establish a trade union—the first of its kind in the world. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) now numbers 40,000 and is Ireland’s largest nurse and midwife representative association. This book examines the heady social and economic backdrop that gave birth to the INMO, putting names and faces to the founders and delving into the challenges they encountered. It details the Organisation’s conservative middle years and its recent emergence as one of the most vocal protagonists for nurses, midwives, and patients in Ireland, while also exploring the vast and varied service that the Organisation provides to its members.