Ireland

Ursula Halligan to step down as TV3 political editor

Head of 3News says journalist went past spin and hype to give viewers the real story

Ursula Halligan is stepping down as political editor at TV3. Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill

Thu Jul 13 2017 - 10:53

One of Ireland's best-known television journalists, Ursula Halligan, is to step down as TV3's political editor at the end of next month after nearly two decades in the role.

She is highly respected in journalism and became internationally known after she wrote an opinion piece for The Irish Times before the same-sex marriage referendum about her own sexuality and years of hiding her identity.

The referendum, she said, had “led me to tell truth about myself. For me, there was no first kiss; no wedding. And until a short time ago, no hope of these.

"I was a good Catholic girl, growing up in 1970s Ireland, where homosexuality was an evil perversion," she wrote then. "It was never openly talked about but I knew it was the worst thing on the face of the earth.

READ MORE

“So when I fell in love with a girl in my class in school, I was terrified. Rummaging around in the attic a few weeks ago, an old diary brought me right back to December 20th, 1977.”

Ms Halligan will leave TV3 at the end of August, having reported on four general elections and the tenures of four different taoisigh.

An award-winning journalist , Halligan was the station's first ever political correspondent, and formerly wrote for the Sunday Tribune, Magill magazine and other publications.

Mick McCaffrey, head of 3News Ireland, said: "Ursula has made a valuable contribution to TV3 over the past 18 years and was always an independent voice in politics, going beyond the spin and hype to give our viewers the real story of what was happening at Leinster House. She was respected across all political parties for her insights and independence. We would like to thank Ursula for her dedicated service and wish her the very best for the future."

LATEST STORIES