Denis Haughey (born 3 October 1944) is a former Irish nationalist politician in Northern Ireland.
Born in Coalisland, Haughey studied politics at Queens University, Belfast,[1] becoming involved in the civil rights movement and the first Chair of the Tyrone Civil Rights Association[2] and a founder member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), before becoming a teacher.
[2] Haughey stood against Frank McManus for the Westminster seat of Fermanagh and South Tyrone in February 1974, splitting the nationalist vote and letting in Harry West of the Ulster Unionist Party.
[3] He unsuccessfully contested North Antrim in the 1975 election to the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention[4] In 1980, Haughey left teaching to work as the full-time assistant to SDLP leader John Hume.
He stood unsuccessfully for the Westminster seat of Mid Ulster at every general election from 1983 until 1997.