Sinn Fein TD Louise O'Reilly has increased the security measures in her home after she received sexual threats and physical violence threats online.
The Fingal TD was contacted by the Oireachtas about a threat which "spurred her on" in adding security measures to her home. It comes as TDs Holly Cairns and Neasa Hourigan spoke out about the abuse they receive online while carrying out their job on The Late Late Show.
Deputy O'Reilly said male TDs do receive abuse online but added that women are targeted in a different way. She told Newstalk: "I do want to say the vast majority of people who contact my office are looking for help.
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"That's the stuff that you remember. If people give you 20 compliments, you'll forget them. If people say one nasty thing, that's the thing that stays with you."
"I think that by having more of us there, we have a fighting chance of being able to change this". She added that there needed to be a "zero tolerance approach" to the online abuse.
Sinn Fein justice spokesman Martin Kenny previously had his home attacked. Deputy O'Reilly said it can be "bloody dangerous" for men and women.
She said: "I'm very conscious of the fact that my colleague Martin Kenny has had his home attacked, and we need to be conscious that sometimes comes off the internet and into real life. It can be bloody dangerous for men and for women.
"But I think that when we talk about it, there's a difference maybe between the abuse that men receive online and women...it can be somewhat sexualised when it comes to women.
"I mute and I block very quickly and very liberally because I don't want to see that, I don't want to be put off doing my job. I love my job. This is a great job.
"It is the honour of my life to do this job and I try to ignore this to the greatest extent possible. But then sometimes it comes into real life."
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