Maria Bailey by RTÉ Radio 1 published on 2019-05-27T09:59:32Z Fine Gael TD Maria Bailey spoke to Today with Sean O'Rourke on RTÉ Radio 1 in an exclusive interview and said her family has endured a distressing, intrusive and abusive week as a result of documents leaked last Sunday. She said that she was unable to go home for three days last week, that she could not drop her children to school and has had to come off social media. Humanity, she said, has been crossed. Maria Bailey said details of her case were leaked to cause maximum damage in the week before an election. However, she added, an election is not won or lost in the last week and she did not believe her case had a negative effect on the elections. The TD said that she was 'drawing a line' on the issue today, adding that she had learnt a lot about people and herself. She said she was 'never looking for compensation' but wanted to recoup her medical bills. She told Today with Sean O'Rourke that she is the subject of click bait and the story only gained traction because she 'handed them a fantastic headline.' Maria Bailey said she was not a legal person but she took legal advice on the issue and was told she had a ' clear cut case.' She criticised Michael McDowell and Michael Martin for commenting on the case saying ' they should know better.' She said that the incident happened long before she was a TD. On the night in question she said she had had a glass of wine in her friends house before going to the hotel where they purchased one drink each. Maria Bailey said she purchased one drink, which was not consumed, before going with her friends to see the swings. She explained that she sat on the swing - which had a highly polished wooden seat - while holding a bottle of beer and reaching for her friend's bottle of wine when she slipped to the ground. She said she went to A and E the following morning and attended intensive physio for the next three weeks. She said she regretted that she ran a 10km run a number of weeks after the incident because she ' paid the price for it that night' but, like any athlete, she wanted to dip her toe into the water and see if she was capable of doing it. She added that she never denied that she had run the race and had put it on her social media. Maria Bailey said the hotel was helpful at all times and agreed to pay her medical bills. Comment by batty ryan It's not because of fraudulent cases. The cases that have broken business owners are part of the compo culture but not fraudulent. People like herself who reckon they can make a few thousand out of a minor accident. 2020-05-30T19:05:03Z Comment by 8th Dimension Podcast Is this the greatest moment in Irish radio history? 2019-12-11T15:13:16Z Comment by Brian J O Doherty sean 2019-08-04T16:42:07Z Comment by Cormac Declan O'Malley cringe... 2019-06-11T23:47:50Z Comment by Nick Moran sean 2019-06-01T12:50:48Z Comment by Nick Moran sean 2019-06-01T12:50:01Z Comment by Nick Moran sean 2019-06-01T12:49:45Z Comment by Nick Moran sean 2019-06-01T12:49:37Z Comment by Nick Moran sean 2019-06-01T12:49:13Z Comment by Nick Moran sean 2019-06-01T12:46:52Z Comment by Nick Moran sean 2019-06-01T12:43:41Z Comment by Nick Moran sean 2019-06-01T12:42:54Z Comment by Nick Moran sean 2019-06-01T12:41:58Z Comment by Nick Moran sean 2019-06-01T12:40:54Z Comment by Nick Moran sean 2019-06-01T12:40:32Z Comment by Nick Moran sean 2019-06-01T12:40:00Z Comment by Jamie Flood The utter contempt she has for the public and anyone who dares to question her dodgy claim, so the whole country is keyboard warriors and bullies?? ... she shows no ability to self reflect or see the bigger picture. Pathetic. 2019-05-30T14:19:15Z Comment by Kevin Harte La Dee DA, I'm a politician, la Dee DA 2019-05-30T13:13:01Z Comment by Disgusted Is anyone questioning the legal advice that she got from Madigans when Maria was told "I had a clear cut case".There another minister in there with ties to this too. If she fell off her own kid's swing at home she'd get up, dust herself off and say "ya big bloody eejit".It happens in someone else's place and the lawyers and herself are going "ching ching". This epitomise everything that is wrong with people's thinking, including the people who are apparently addressing the issue. 2019-05-29T10:44:31Z Comment by kevinonearth me me me. Astounding 2019-05-29T09:45:56Z Comment by kevinonearth cluster migraines!!! cluster f#"? 2019-05-29T09:34:49Z Comment by kevinonearth 😆😆OMG how do these people get elected. Sean...listen to me....Sean 2019-05-29T09:31:18Z Comment by Padddiddy Supervisor at a swing...haha. Gas woman. 2019-05-29T08:47:58Z Comment by Mike McMorrow Sean....i'm a Gobshite Sean!! 2019-05-29T04:40:10Z Comment by zandie entitled FG fraudster 2019-05-28T23:13:02Z Comment by miceal breen another Joan burton looking for handy money 2019-05-28T17:37:23Z Comment by brogang I know exactly who I am - A crook... 2019-05-28T16:02:01Z Comment by Keith Dalton Swing Vote 2019-05-28T13:37:01Z Comment by sceptre You can't be offside in Gaa 2019-05-28T12:58:11Z Comment by Stephen Dylanson Maria you absolute sap give over 2019-05-28T11:57:16Z