Maria Bailey

Maria Bailey (born 21 November 1975) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency from 2016 to 2020. She served as Chair of the Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government 2016 to 2019. Her career in Dáil Éireann ended after a personal injury controversy known as "swing-gate", which led to her de-selection by Fine Gael as a candidate in the 2020 general election. She was a member of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council from 2004 to 2016. Bailey is the daughter of former Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Councillor John Bailey. Legal claim A lawsuit by Bailey against Press Up Entertainment and the Dean Hotel for alleged injuries, following a fall from an indoor swing in July 2015, attracted controversy and criticism in the media and in the in May 2019. The controversy became known as "swing-gate".