Liam Quaide (born 12 August 1979) is an IrishSocial Democrats politician who has been aTeachta Dála (TD) for theCork East constituency since the2024 general election.^[2][3]

Liam Quaide TD
Quaide in 2024
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office November 2024
Constituency	Cork East
Personal details
Born	(1979-08-12)12 August 1979 (age 45)[1] Cork, Ireland
Political party	Social Democrats
Other political affiliations	Green Party (until 2023)
Spouse	Róisín Cuddihy ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	2
Alma mater	University College Cork University of Galway Trinity College Dublin

Quaide grew up in Elton, ruralCounty Limerick.^[4] He did his undergraduate atUniversity College Cork (UCC), graduating in 2001. He went on to complete aMaster of Arts in Ethical and Cultural Studies atNUI Galway and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology atTrinity College Dublin.^[5] Before going into politics, Quaide worked as aclinical psychologist.^[6]

Quaide won a seat onCork County Council in the2019 Irish local elections as a member of theGreen Party.^[6] Quaide stood for the Greens in the2020 Irish general election inCork East but was unsuccessful.^[7]

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.^[8][9]

In his resignation statement, Quaide linked the government's response to the closure with broader concerns about its treatment of vulnerable groups, including those facing homelessness and Mother and Baby home survivors. He also expressed concerns that government policies, such as those related to housing, caused social division and alienated people from the Green Party's agenda. Quaide praised Green Party TDNeasa Hourigan for her efforts in the Owenacurra Centre campaign, noting her actions were more impactful than those of several other local TDs.^[8][9]

At the2024 general election, Quaide was elected to the Dáil on the 12th count inCork East as a member of theSocial Democrats.

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 inMidleton in 2014. They have a daughter and a son.^[5]

• Social Democrats profile