Mary McCarthy, Chief Nursing Officer with the Department of Health and Children, and Anne Carrigy, President of An Bord Altranais and Director of Nursing in the Mater Hospital, Dublin were awarded an Honorary Fellowship of RCSI's Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery for their outstanding contributions to their fields.

The conferring was made at the 25th Annual Nursing and Midwifery Conference, which was held in RCSI from 22-24.

A native of Kerry, Ms McCarthy began her nursing training in 1972 in Walton Hospital, Liverpool. Upon completion of her general nurse training in 1975 she returned to Ireland for further training in midwifery at the Coombe Women’s Hospital in Dublin. In 1978, Ms McCarthy shifted her focus to occupational health and commissioned the first Medical Centre at the FAS Training Centre in Tallaght, Dublin. Two years later, she returned to general nursing and accepted a position as a staff nurse at the Meath Hospital, where eventually became Assistant Director of Nursing in 1989, and Director of Nursing in 1996.

In October 2001, Ms McCarthy was appointed Chief Nursing Officer, Department of Health and Children. In this role, she provides advice to the Tanaiste and Minister for Health and Children, and to the Department.

Ms McCarthy’s expertise extends beyond clinical nursing, and she holds an MA in Industrial Relations, Management and Human Resource Development from Keele University in England, and a Diploma in Management and Industrial Relations from the National College of Industrial Relations in Dublin.

Anne Carrigy, a native Dubliner, obtained her qualification as a Registered Nurse from the Mater Hospital in 1969. She specialised in intensive care nursing, and was among the first to undertake a hospital-based certificate in the field. She then spent 18 months working in the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dún Laoghaire.

Ms Carrigy was promoted to Sister in the Mater’s Intensive Care Unit in 1981, and made Deputy Matron in 1989. Throughout her career, she continued to further her education earning a Certificate in Counselling in 1988 and then Certificate in Management in 1991, both from St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth/Ballsbridge College of Business Studies. In 1994, Ms Carrigy obtained a Diploma in Industrial Relations from the National College of Industrial Relations.

In 1998, Ms. Carrigy became the first Director of Nursing who was not a Mercy Sister. When the hospital became a Public Limited Company in 2002, she was appointed a Director and Member of the Board of Management. Her responsibilities grew to include corporate affairs in 2005, and more recently extended to risk management, quality and accreditation, health and safety, and education and training.

Ms Carrigy’s duties stretch beyond the Mater, however. In 2002 she became a surveyor for the Health Services Accreditation Board, and in 2005 she was appointed to their Board of Directors. Ms. Carrigy was appointed President of An Bord Altranais in January 2003 for a five-year term. She is also Vice-President of the European Federation of Nursing Professions, and a member of the European Association of Directors of Nursing.