The Garda Commissioner has said gardaí do not have the power under the health regulations to break up house parties or large gatherings if there are no breaches of the criminal law.
Drew Harris also warned of the dangers of an "authoritarian" policing response and said he would not be in favour of granting gardaí powers to enter people's homes.
The Commisssioner said gardaí did respond to the gatherings in Galway earlier this week, and also had to deal with several house parties in Galway.
These matters he said were "not catered for within the present regulations" but the gardaí were involved in persuading people to disperse, dampen down the ambiance of the occasion and encourage people to go home.
He said gardaí do have regulatory provisions to deal with the organisers of such events, but he pointed out that this was often done on social media and it is therefore "very difficult to point the finger".
The Commissioner also said that house parties had increased because of Covid-19, and that while gardaí respond to complaints people have constitutional rights as regards the protection of the homeplace.
He said it was not just young people who were having parties and gardaí work to bring them to an end through persuasion. They also have access to other laws such as drugs and public order.
He accepted that this may not fulfil some of the public concern, but he said he was reluctant to see increased powers to allow gardaí go into people's homes.
"To enter a home to break up a house party is a very serious escalation of our powers and it is a road we should be very slow to embark on," he said.
Harris defends use of anti-spit hoods by gardaí
The Garda Commissioner has also strongly defended the use of anti-spit hoods by gardaí.
Mr Harris said that these were "anti-spit guards" introduced to prevent gardaí from being spat on and protect them from saliva and body fluids.
He said that even before the emergency there was an obvious risk. "We have now acted in a pandemic", he said.
He said that the spit guards were not a hood.
"They don't deny any of the senses, people can see and hear, they cant project body fluid through spitting."
The Policing Authority pointed out that the manufacturers confirmed that the hoods did not protect against the spread of Covid-19, but the Commissioner said that face masks and coverings were in widespread use among the public and they offered no guarantee of protection but it seems to be clear that face coverings protect individuals.
He insisted gardaí only use spit guards in cases where an individual poses a threat to gardaí or the public.
Mr Harris also said gardaí were awaiting the results of an ongoing review of their use and information on the experience in other jurisdictions.
Gardaí have told the Policing Authority that they regarded far right activity in Ireland as a matter of national security and were keeping the minister informed.
The Garda Commissioner pointed out that it was a European phenomenon and not confined to Ireland.
Deputy Commissioner John Twomey said hundreds of protests take place in Dublin city centre every year, and gardaí had to vindicate the rights of people to protest aswell as protecting the public.
He said problems arise when groups do not engage with gardaí beforehand and when opposing groups face each other.
