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Deirdre Heenan

Deirdre Heenan

The Business Post

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The horrors of Muckamore Abbey demand more than another apology

The horrors of Muckamore Abbey demand more than another apology

MANY years ago, when I was a student, I went to see One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The film left an indelible print on my brain – it is...

22.06.2026 10

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Deirdre Heenan: North’s race riots expose political failures that can no longer be ignored

Due to the technical or legal reasons, readability mode is not available for this article. Thank you for your kind understanding.

12.06.2026 20

The Business Post

Deirdre Heenan

Shocking agency nurse costs raise serious questions for health service

THE latest report from the Audit Office shines a light on the skyrocketing costs of agency nurses but also raises serious questions about the...

08.06.2026 20

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

I went to Lourdes with my mother and I came back with a lighter heart

IN truth, when my 86-year-old mother asked me to go with her to Lourdes, I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy. Wasn’t this just Holy Joes, praying...

25.05.2026 30

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Labour must stop tinkering or it will hand the keys of No 10 to Farage

SHOULD he stay or should he go? Following a catastrophic set of local election results, Sir Keir Starmer faced renewed calls from Labour MPs to step...

11.05.2026 30

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Maternity hospital fiasco is a monument to political failure

THE fiasco around the new Belfast maternity hospital now stands as a monument to political failure, which has real-world consequences for everyone...

27.04.2026 20

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Deirdre Heenan: They control billions in spending but who are the people appointed to all these public bodies?

MORE than 30 years ago I undertook research examining the system of public appointments in the north. It highlighted serious concerns about the...

14.04.2026 30

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

The DUP’s nonsensical opposition to minimum alcohol pricing will cost lives

MIKE Nesbitt looks set to be the fifth health minister to have attempted to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol and failed. He announced last...

30.03.2026 50

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Ageism in health care is real and should be a worry for all of us

COUNTLESS articles and reports have been written about the crisis in health and social care in Northern Ireland. We have become accustomed to reading...

16.03.2026 50

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Deirdre Heenan: If MLAs had an ounce of self-awareness, they would reject their unjust pay rise

IT’S a politically toxic issue. How much is an MLA worth? Should we pay our politicians more? The answer rests upon fundamental ideas about...

02.03.2026 40

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Performative political reporting serves no-one

Undoubtedly Keir Starmer’s appointment of Peter Mandelson raises serious questions about his judgement and the role of strategists in a...

16.02.2026 40

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Has Mike Nesbitt got the political courage to finish the job?

03.02.2026 30

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

No-one expects a land of milk and honey, but surely we can do better than this?

19.01.2026 40

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Banning social media for children is not the answer

06.01.2026 200

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Time to move on from the politics of posturing to problem-solving

22.12.2025 30

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

It’s time to focus on the causes of ill-health, not just the cure

08.12.2025 30

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Cervical smear scandal women let down by system failures in health service

10.11.2025 20

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Thank you President Higgins, you have been music to our ears

28.10.2025 40

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Deadly cancer delays cannot be allowed to become a routine part of our long waiting lists

14.10.2025 40

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Without a radical reset, Starmer’s Labour is heading for the rocks

29.09.2025 40

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Sinn Féin’s suicide prevention bill is confused and ill-conceived

15.09.2025 40

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

We need to talk about dementia

01.09.2025 40

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Labour’s policy of standing back from north is not working

18.08.2025 30

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

A sub par or superb solution to the waiting list crisis?

04.08.2025 30

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Shambles at SWAH is a case study on how not to transform healthcare

21.07.2025 50

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

The public are running out of patience with this dysfunctional Executive

07.07.2025 40

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Fair play to Edwin Poots for putting it up to our politicians

23.06.2025 30

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Blame for RVH cardiac unit fiasco should be laid firmly at health service management

09.06.2025 40

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Time to rescue GP services before it’s too late

26.05.2025 40

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Nigel Farage will dance to any tune in his quest for power

12.05.2025 40

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

No point banging the same old drum about a border poll

28.04.2025 40

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

A radical new approach to wellbeing is required

15.04.2025 30

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

By punching down on some of the poorest in society, has Labour lost its moral compass? 

31.03.2025 30

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan