Liam Quaide

Liam Quaide (born 12 August 1979) is an Irish Social Democrats politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork East constituency since the 2024 general election.

Early life Quaide grew up in Elton, rural County Limerick. He did his undergraduate at University College Cork (UCC), graduating in 2001. He went on to complete a Master of Arts in Ethical and Cultural Studies at NUI Galway and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Trinity College Dublin.

Political career Quaide won a seat on Cork County Council in the 2019 Irish local elections as a member of the Green Party.

In April 2023, Quaide left the Green Party, citing frustration with the government's handling of the Owenacurra mental health facility closure. Quaide,who had campaigned against the closure, criticised his party colleagues for failing to challenge the decision, which he believed caused serious harm to vulnerable individuals. The Owenacurra Centre, located in Midleton, had been slated for closure in 2021 but remained open amid strong local opposition. Quaide argued that the government had rubber-stamped the closure despite mounting evidence that residents were being moved from single rooms to shared dorms, severing their connection to the community.

In November 2023, Quaide joined the Social Democrats. At the 2024 general election, Quaide was elected to the Dáil on the 12th count in Cork East.

Personal life In 2012, Quaide married fellow UCC graduate Róisín Cuddihy, whom he met in 2006 while working in Dublin. The couple returned to Cork after marrying and settled in Midleton in 2014. They have a daughter and a son.