Bríd is a retired nurse, midwife and health service manager. She worked predominantly in the NHS in London following four years as a volunteer nurse in Africa. She also worked as a fundraiser for a development aid charity.

Since retiring she has engaged critically with the shifting terms of debate around female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) via her blog at Shifting Sands.

She travels extensively and is learning Portuguese. Her ambition is to visit all of Portugal’s former colonies and to return to Brazil for a prolonged stay.