An average of nearly 100 domestic abuse incidents have been reported to Gardaí every day this year.

New figures show 24,686 domestic abuse incidents were reported up to September 9th this year.

It means an average of one incident is reported every 15 minutes.

More than one-third of the attacks were reported in Dublin – with just under 9,000 cases reported in the capital.

Meanwhile, 2,021 were reported in Cork, with 1,152 in Louth and 1,074 in Galway.

They included a variety of offences, such as violence and breach of a barring order.

Noeline Blackwell, from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, told Newstalk that the organisation has seen no reduction in report since COVID restrictions were eased.

“We are still hearing a worrying high level of intimate partner abuse, we are hearing about sexual violence and we are hearing far too much of that,” she said. “We are not seeing a reduction.”

She said the level of abuse is very concerning.

“Those who are victims of domestic abuse and violence – including the sexual violence which we see here – it is repeated abuse again and again,” she said.

“It is possibly even predictable for some victims of abuse in those cases but it is an awful lot of people in this country every single day who live in fear and who are damaged by domestic violence.”

The figures were revealed by the Minister of State for Justice, Hildegarde Naughton in response to a Parliamentary Question.

She said tackling domestic abuse and providing supports for victims is a key priority for the government and the Gardaí.