| Honorific-Suffix: | TD |
| Office: | Teachta Dála |
| Term Start: | November 2024 |
| Constituency: | Dublin North-West |
| Party: | Social Democrats |
| Alma Mater: | Trinity College Dublin |
Rory Hearne is an Irish Social Democrats politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North-West constituency since the 2024 general election. He was previously an academic known for his work on the Irish housing crisis.[1]
He attended Trinity College Dublin where he earned a first class honours degree in Geography in 2000 and subsequently a Ph.D. in 2009.[2] [3] While at Trinity he was elected president of Trinity College Dublin Students' Union. He also served as the vice-president of the Union of Students in Ireland. He works as associate professor in social policy at Maynooth University.
He has commentated on social and economic issues in media outlets such as the Tonight with Vincent Browne television programme and in op-eds for the Irish Examiner, The Irish Times and The Guardian newspapers.[4] [5] [6]
Hearne has publicly criticised the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil parties who led every government during his career.[7] Hearne has been cited as an authority on the housing crisis by The New York Times.[8] His book on the housing crisis, Gaffs was released in 2022 and became a bestseller.[1]
Hearne was a founding member of the People Before Profit Alliance in 2005, and ran unsuccessfully as their candidate in the Dublin South-East constituency in 2007.[9] He spent three months as a member of the Labour Party before resigning in 2011 in protest at their decision to form a governing coalition with Fine Gael as the Government of the 31st Dáil.[7] In 2016 and 2020, he ran unsuccessfully for the Seanad for the National University of Ireland constituency, as an independent.[9]
Hearne joined the Social Democrats in 2024[9] and was their unsuccessful candidate in the 2024 European Parliament election for the Midlands–North-West constituency,[10] where he secured 15,023 (2.2%) first preference votes and was eliminated after the 12th count of 21. Hearne received media attention during the campaign for his criticism of Ciaran Mullooly of Independent Ireland (who went on to win a seat) for what Hearne saw as Mullooly's scapegoating of migrants rather than focusing on the causes of the housing crisis.[11] The party selected Hearne to stand at the 2024 general election in Dublin North-West, where retiring party leader Róisín Shortall had held a seat since 1992.[10]
At the 2024 general election, Hearne was elected to the Dáil.
Hearne is a critic of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil's housing policies, which he describes as a form of "social vandalism". Hearne advocates for housing policy that prioritises the needs of vulnerable groups, including young people, renters, and those facing homelessness. He has been particularly critical of investor funds and property developers, whom he believes have exacerbated the housing shortage.[12] Hearne advocates for a state-led approach to housing development, proposing the establishment of a state developer to build homes rather than relying on the Land Development Agency, which he criticises as being "NAMA 2.0".[13]
In addition to housing, Hearne is concerned with broader social issues, such as climate change, workers' rights, and the rise of the far right. He opposes anti-immigrant rhetoric and believes the Irish government, alongside other political parties, has failed to adequately address these concerns.[12]
On European issues, Hearne supports the EU’s stance against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has condemned Putin's Russia as "Imperialist". Hearne is a supporter of Palestinian rights and has condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, as well as the perceived inaction of the US government under Joe Biden.[12]
, Hearne was raising a family in North Dublin where he had lived for 20 years.[1] Hearne disclosed on an episode of podcast The Two Norries published in November 2022 that he had been the victim of sexual abuse as a teenager by a perpetrator in his community who was later convicted and imprisoned.[14]