Pat Cullen: From Nurses’ strikes to Sinn Féin MP

In this episode of #BBCRedLines Mark Carruthers is talking face-to-face to someone whose late career change took everyone by surprise - including, she says, herself. Pat Cullen was already well-known to the public as a high profile figure in the world of healthcare. She worked for many years as a community nurse, before moving into management roles, and then moved to the Royal College of Nursing where she rose to become general secretary and chief executive. Suddenly - seemingly out of nowhere - she was announced as the Sinn Féin candidate for the Fermanagh/South Tyrone seat in the 2024 general election - a contest she won with a majority of four and a half thousand votes. This interview with Mark Carruthers was recorded in summer 2025. Click here for the latest episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0... New episodes of the BBC Red Lines podcast drop every Wednesday fortnight on BBC Sounds. #bbcnewsni #bbc #nipolitics