Cork councillor and Owenacurra campaigner Liam Quaide to join Social Democrats
Cairns Holly Councillor Social With Quaide Liam Liam Leader Democrats Picture: Quaide
Cork councillor and Owenacurra campaigner Liam Quaide is set to run as a Social Democrat in next year's local elections, having quit the Green Party in dramatic fashion earlier this year.
Mr Quaide, a clinical psychologist and one of the most consistent advocates for the Midleton mental health facility, said the Social Democrats share his “concerns about Ireland’s under-resourced mental health and disability services for children and adults”. Owenacurra was slated for closure by the HSE in June 2021.
He said he is “extremely grateful” for the support afforded to the Owenacurra campaign by Social Democrats health spokesperson Roisin Shortall and its leader, and fellow Cork representative, Holly Cairns.
“I strongly identify with the party's policies in key areas such as housing, health and disability rights, and the need to address the climate and biodiversity crises. These are all priorities for me as a public representative,” Mr Quaide said of his move to the party, which has six TDs at present.
“I am looking forward to representing the Social Democrats on Cork County Council at such an exciting time for the party under Holly Cairns’ dynamic new leadership,” he said, adding that it is “ideal” that the party is led by a Cork TD with a farming background in Ms Cairns, given the Social Democrats' stance as “party of change".
Ms Cairns said she is “excited” that Mr Quaide has joined her party, saying he will offer valuable insights into the deficiencies in public mental health services while his views on the need for climate change mitigation “very much align with those of the Social Democrats”.
Mr Quaide was first elected as a Green candidate for Midleton in 2019, but quit the party over the Owenacurra saga in April 2023, stating he had been “left frustrated by responses from ministerial party colleagues on the issue”.
Along with Green TD for Dublin Cental Neasa Hourigan, Mr Quaide was instrumental in keeping the controversial Owenacurra closure in the national consciousness.
The HSE’s CEO Bernard Gloster recently committed personally to building a new 10-person facility on the Owenacurra site, more than two years after the closure was first announced.
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