The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation was originally founded in 1919 when a small group of nurses and midwives came together in Dublin to address two issues; namely an improvement in pay and the setting of professional standards for the performance of their duties.
The newly formed organisation, which was known as the Irish Nurses’ Union actively recruited new members, in its early years, and made significant progress in relation to pay and pension, and the setting of standards through a range of educational initiatives e.g. lectures/policy documents.
In 1931 the new organisation began its work on the international stage, by affiliating to the International Council of Nurses (ICN). The INMO continues this affiliation to this very day.
In 1972 the then Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) was a founding member of the Standing Committee of Nurses in the European Union (PCN). The INMO continues its active membership of this body which is now known as the European Federation of Nursing Association.
In 1978 the Organisation voted overwhelmingly to seek affiliation to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU). Ten years later the necessary order was granted by the High Court for the Organisation to register as a trade union under the Trade Union Act 1941. The Organisation immediately applied for affiliation to the ICTU and the affiliation process was completed in January 1990. Since then, the INMO has consistently been represented on the ICTU Executive Council and involved in all national negotiations under the social partnership process, while also being an active participant in the collective Irish trade union movement.
On 1st January 2010, the INMO changed its name to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
In 2019 the union celebrated its 100th anniversary with a range of activities and events which recognised the constant growth of the Organisation over the decades, and its was nows status as the recognised voice of nursing and midwifery in Ireland.