Man arrested in Michael Healy-Rae assault investigation

A man in his 50s has been arrested in relation to the investigation into an assault on Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae in Dublin yesterday afternoon.

The man is being held at Kevin Street Garda Station.

Mr Healy-Rae was travelling in his own vehicle on Cork Street in Dublin city at around 4.10pm yesterday when he was approached by a man who assaulted him through the window of his car.

Following the assault, the Kerry TD was taken from the road by gardaí who were quickly on the scene.

They took him to Kevin Street Garda Station and an ambulance was called.

He attended St Vincent's University Hospital for his injuries, and was discharged just before 9pm last night, having needed stitches for a head wound.

The former minister of state had been in Leinster House earlier and was on his way home when the incident occurred.

At Dublin Castle earlier today, Garda Assistant Commissioner for the Dublin Metropolitan Region Jonathan Roberts said it could not be ruled out that the motivation for the attack was due to Mr Healy-Rae's role as an elected representative.

'I will not be deterred from continuing my work' - Healy-Rae

Mr Healy-Rae said he will not be deterred from his work as a TD following yesterday's assault.

In a statement, he said: "Whatever the intention behind this attack, I will not be deterred from continuing my work or from representing the people of Kerry to the very best of my ability.

"However, we do need to have a serious conversation about the growing toxicity directed towards politicians and public representatives.

"Disagreement and robust political debate are entirely legitimate, but personal abuse, intimidation and violence can never be accepted or normalised in a democratic society."

Mr Healy-Rae thanked gardaí at Kevin Street Garda Station, paramedics and staff at St Vincent's Hospital "for the care and assistance they gave me".

"I am also deeply grateful to the thousands of people from Kerry and across the country who have contacted me and my family. Your kindness and good wishes have meant a great deal to us," he said.

Mr Healy-Rae has returned home to Kilgarvan and said he looks forward to "getting back to work in the coming days".

His family said he is going to spend the next few days resting as he recovers from his injuries.

His son said his father is "a bit shook and a bit sore."

Speaking on Radio Kerry, Jackie Healy-Rae Jr said it was lucky his father's injuries were "not too serious".

He said he was speaking to his father over the phone when the incident occurred.

"I could hear everything that was happening... I could hear someone shouting from a distance and then an awful commotion... it turned to chaos," he said.

He added that his father has been "blindsided" by a man who approached the car and attacked him.

The window of Michael Healy-Rae's car was down when the man approached.

Attack on Healy-Rae very worrying - Taoiseach

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he wanted to "condemn unreservedly" the "shocking assault".

He said: "I spoke to Michael last night, he's quite shook and it resulted in a considerable number of stitches."

The Irish premier described the attack as "very, very serious and worrying and concerning", and he said it was "an attack on democracy".

Mr Martin added: "There seems to be an increased propensity for violence, for aggression, for hostility in our society, and that’s something that’s extremely regrettable, and we have a lot of work to do to pull back that.

"It’s not universal across the board, but certain elements are emerging in a sort of natural, aggressive, hostile way.

"We’ve never had this before in our society, and our democracy is relatively unusual in the sense that our members of parliament and the ministers themselves can walk towards streets unhindered."

Labour Leader Ivana Bacik said it was appalling to see a TD "assaulted in this manner".

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said she wanted to express her "condemnation of the attack on Michael Healy-Rae".

"It's profoundly anti-democratic, and I do wish him a speedy recovery," he said.

Gardaí are appealing for witnesses, particularly anyone who may have camera footage from the area at the time, to contact them.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Kevin Street Garda Station 01 6669400 or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111.

Additional reporting: Mícheál Lehane, Maggie Doyle, Harry Manning, PA