Minister of State Anne Rabbitte has said she did not feel safe after a bag of excrement was thrown at her in a public meeting on Wednesday night.
Bags reportedly containing dry cow dung were thrown at Minister Rabbitte and Galway East TD Ciaran Cannon during a meeting in Gort.
Gardaí have launched an investigation into the incident.
Both TDs tweeted after the incident, with Deputy Cannon suggesting: "All part of the job you might say, but I can understand why fewer people want this job."
So an idiot goes to the bother of putting excrement (human or animal, yet unknown) into two bags and throws one at me and one at Anne. All part of the job you might say, but I can understand why fewer people want this job. #politics https://t.co/3XS9EvL98y
— Ciaran Cannon (@ciarancannon) January 4, 2023
Speaking to Galway Bay FM, Minister Rabbitte said the incident was upsetting.
"I actually wasn't in a position to be able to speak, to be quite honest with you," she said.
"The legs were taken right out from under me as far as I was concerned.
"I actually had dry mouth; I wasn't able to put words together at that point.
"I was able to tweet, because I felt I needed to ventilate my anger of what was actually unfolding personally to me - and how I felt.
"I just didn't feel good about it."
Asked if she feared for her own personal safety, Deputy Rabbitte said: "I certainly did when I was leaving the room that night".
'Very disappointed'
She said the person responsible was not removed from the event.
"I was very disappointed that that incident happened.
"At the end of the day, whatever way you look at it, a person at a meeting last night assaulted two public Government representatives, representing their constituents who were there in good faith.
"The person wasn't removed in the room, the person continued in the room for the rest of the evening.
"I just felt very let down, and I think we hit a new low that it was 'carry on regardless' without keeping it respectful," she added.
