Sit-down Sunday: A Woman of Many Talents: A Profile of the Late Best-Selling Author & Broadcaster Deirdre Purcell

The Sunday Long Read. The Irish writer, who passed away in 2023, discussed the highs and lows of her life and career during this candid in-depth interview printed here in full for the first time.

For someone who insisted that she “never had any ambitions really,” Deirdre Purcell was an impressively high achiever in several fields — including acting, broadcasting, and, of course, writing, firstly as a journalist and later a best-selling author.

Deirdre grew up in the working-class suburb of Ballymun, north Dublin. Educated at an inner-city school,…