Ursula Halligan is the political editor of Ireland's main independent television station, TV3.

A former journalist with RTÉ News and Current Affairs, she joined TV3 at its inception. She previously worked at the Sunday Tribune

Sunday Tribune

The Sunday Tribune was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to tabloid. Former editors include Conor Brady, Vincent Browne,...

and Vincent Browne

Vincent Browne

Vincent Browne is an Irish print and broadcast journalist. He is a columnist with The Irish Times and The Sunday Business Post and a part time barrister....

's Magill

Magill

Magill was an Irish politics and current affairs magazine founded by Vincent Browne and others in 1977. Magill was widely perceived as groundbreaking, specialising in in-depth investigative articles and colourful reportage by journalists such as Eamonn McCann and Gene Kerrigan...

magazine. She presented The Political Party, its main weekend current affairs programme until the show was axed as part of wider cutbacks due to the station's financial situation, in March 2009. Halligan grew up in Templeogue

Templeogue

Templeogue is a suburb of southwest Dublin, Ireland. The original Irish name Teach Mealóg refers to a chapel named after Saint Mel that was built there in about 1273....

, Dublin. Her brother, Professor Aidan Halligan, is director of education at University College London Hospitals and chief of safety at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals trust.

In December 2009, Halligan controversially disclosed the fact that the then Minister for Finance

Minister for Finance (Ireland)

The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Irish government minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Finance is...

 Brian Lenihan, Jnr

Brian Lenihan, Jnr

Brian Joseph Lenihan was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and barrister who served in the government of Ireland as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform from 2007 to 2008 and as Minister for Finance from 2008 to 2011...

 had caught pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...

. She was criticized by the then Taoiseach

Taoiseach

The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...

 Brian Cowen

Brian Cowen

Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...

, senior government members and the Sunday Independent

Sunday Independent

The Sunday Independent is a broadsheet Sunday newspaper published in Ireland by Independent News and Media plc. The newspaper is edited by Aengus Fanning, and is the biggest selling Irish Sunday newspaper by a large margin ; average circulation of 291,323 between June 2004 and January 2005,...

. However she did get support from many publications and journalists including the political bi-weekly Village

Village (magazine)

Village is an Irish current affairs magazine founded by Vincent Browne. It was launched in October 2004 and was published weekly. In January 2007, it was announced that Village Magazine would be published monthly...

magazine, Ger Colleran

Ger Colleran

Gerard Colleran is an Irish journalist, the editor of the Irish Daily Star since 1999. In 2009, Village listed him as one of Ireland's 100 most influential people. He is a native of Mayo, County Mayo, grew up in Quin, County Clare, and was educated at the University of London and the University of...

, editor of the Irish Daily Star

Irish Daily Star

The Irish Daily Star is a tabloid newspaper published in Ireland by the Independent Star Limited. Independent Star Limited is a joint venture between Richard Desmond's UK based Express Newspapers Limited, which owns the British Daily Star, and Irish news magnate Denis O'Brien's Independent News &...

tabloid and the Phoenix

The Phoenix (magazine)

The Phoenix is Ireland's best selling political and current affairs magazine. Inspired by the British magazine Private Eye, and a source of investigative journalism in Ireland...

magazine, who stated that "If a report of the finance minister facing a serious illness while simultaneously grappling with the biggest financial crisis in the history of the state is not in the public interest then nothing is".