A garda investigation is under way after two politicians said bags of excrement were thrown at them at a meeting in Co Galway yesterday evening.
Minister of State for Disability Anne Rabbitte and Fine Gael TD Ciaran Cannon posted about the incident on Twitter.
"All part of the job you might say, but I can understand why fewer people want this job," Mr Cannon posted online.
In a statement, gardaí say they are "investigating all the circumstances relating to an incident that occurred at a public meeting in Gort" yesterday evening.
Mr Cannon has said that the incident has given him "cause for concern around the profession of politics".
He said that the cumulative impact of actions like this is the "chipping away at our democracy".
Speaking to RTÉ's News at One, Mr Cannon said: "What it does is give me concern around the whole profession of politics."
"While last night wasn't a particular serious incident, it is part of a cumulative chipping away at our democracy," he said.
"I would argue at the very precious part of Irish democracy whereby our public representatives, our ministers, our Taoiseach, our Tánaiste, can move safely and freely about our towns and our villages and I think that's under threat.
"That's essentially the message I took from last night."
He said that the incident was "premeditated" as the individual had prepared the "two missiles" in advance of attending the meeting.
"One gentleman at the very beginning of the meeting took it upon himself to launch into a tirade essentially accusing Minister Anne Rabbitte and I of being culpable in granting this planning permission and then proceeded to take two bags, of what I now know to be cow dung, out from his pocket, walked over to me, threw one at me and then as he returned to his place in the room, he threw the other at Minister Anne Rabbitte," he said.
"And then he left the meeting and returned shortly thereafter to stand in quite close proximity to Minister Rabbitte for the remainder of the meeting."
He said that many people attending the meeting had expressed their views "very eloquently and very passionately".
Mr Cannon said it was the largest public meeting he had ever attended in his political career. It dealt with the concerns of the people of Gort over the granting of planning permission by An Bord Pleanála for a 25-acre industrial biogas facility.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Tánaiste Micheál Martin said that he had spoken to Minister Rabbitte this morning and offered his support.
Mr Martin said: "People have a right to protest and argue their points, but these kind of unacceptable actions damage civil society and democratic discourse."
Minister for Education Norma Foley described last night's incident as "shocking".
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One programme, she said: "I can only imagine how traumatic it has been for both Ciarán and Anne. It should never have happened.
"It's appropriate to say as well that this is the exception, rather than the norm. This is not normal behaviour.
"This does not happen at meetings or engagements that we would have in general with the general public and I think it is important to say that.
"But any incident of that nature is one incident too many, it is not acceptable."
