GARDAÍ ARE CONTINUING to appeal for witnesses following a junior minister’s claim that a bag of excrement was thrown at her and a fellow TD on 4 January.

Anne Rabbitte, the Minister of State for Disability, posted on social media that she and Fine Gael TD Ciarán Cannon were attending a public meeting in their constituency in Gort, Co Galway when the incident happened.

Speaking on Galway Bay FM on 5 January, Rabbitte said that when public representatives attend public meetings, certain things can “flare up”, which resulted her and Cannon being on the receiving end of it. 

“When you have a bag, no matter how big or small it is, a bag of manure flung at you, right into your torso, it doesn’t leave you feeling great whatsoever,” she told the station.

She said the person who threw the manure was not removed from the meeting and continued to remain at the venue for the rest of the evening.

Following the meeting, she said she spoke to the organisers and informed gardaí about the incident, as she said the person in question was clearly “incredibly angry and annoyed with myself and Ciaran [Cannon]“.  

Cannon confirmed he was other TD present during the attack. 

In a statement this evening, gardaí said they are “continuing to investigate all the circumstances around a public order incident that occurred during a public meeting at a hotel in Gort, Co Galway on Wednesday, 4 January”.

Gardaí are appealing to anyone who was at this meeting and who has not already spoken to them to come forward. 

“Any other person who may have any other information in relation this incident should also make contact with gardaí,” the Garda statement said. 

Gardaí can be contacted at Gort Garda Station 091 636 4000 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.

No arrests have been made at this time.

Investigations are ongoing.