The union representing frontline Gardaí says a 'sinister' element of the water protest movement is sharing the names of its officers online.

The Garda Representative Association says in one particular incident - which is under investigation - a member of the public offered money on social media to anyone who could provide the address of a particular member of the force.

“It occurred and there was an offer of money put forward to identify a particular member and where the member resided and so forth,” said GRA President Dermot O’Brien.

“That’s an infringement on that members rights in the sense of they have a family, they have a life outside the job. And you have to ask yourself, what was behind – why were they seeking such information? There’s a sinister element attached to it,” he added.

The claim comes at the start of the GRA's three day conference in Co Carlow - which will also hear motions calling for pay increases, tasers for Garda units and mandatory sentences for anyone who assaults an officer.

Over 115 delegates representing 10-thousand frontline officers will gather in Co Carlow over the coming days to discuss the way forward for the force after a number of controversies in recent years.