‘I could see the comments and shares rising, there was a lot of hate’

A KELLS councillor has opened up about how her home address, phone number and comments on her appearance and of a threatening nature being circulated online forced her to permanently change how she uses and views social media.

Fine Gael Cllr Sarah Reilly told the Local Lens podcast on the opening episode of the new season that a seemingly inoffensive Facebook post addressing an issue caused outrage from specific groups and individuals online, leaving her feeling unsafe and anxious to log back on.

Cllr Reilly shared a personal experience that illustrated the darker side of online engagement when you are in the public eye.

She recalled posting what she believed was a straightforward Facebook update after receiving calls from constituents about an issue in Kells. At the time, she was dropping her son to a class and decided to post that the matter had been raised with Meath County Council and that action had been requested.

“I thought it was quite a benign post,” she said, admitting that this was a moment of naivety. Within minutes, the post attracted angry reactions and comments. Feeling the conversation was escalating rapidly, she deleted the post and initially thought little more of it.

After contacting a colleague, Cllr Reilly learned there was speculation that a particular group was behind the issue. On checking the group’s Facebook page, she discovered a screenshot of her original post had been shared, with comments and shares increasing quickly.

“I could see the comments and shares rising, and there was a lot of hate." Once an influencer shared the post, it spread across other platforms, including X (formerly Twitter). “X is like the wild west,” she added, explaining that her home address and phone number were soon being circulated. Feeling unsafe, she contacted Minister Helen McEntee for advice.

Cllr McEntee advised her to block and delete those posting abusive comments and reassured her that the situation would eventually pass. While it did blow over, Cllr Reilly said the experience permanently changed how she uses social media.

“An awful lot of the comments were about my physical attributes, which I didn’t care too much about." It was the comments of a threatening nature that concerned Cllr Reilly. Cllr Reilly recalls one of the more concerning comments that ominously stated that “the people of Kells need to sort Sarah Reilly out.” She expressed relief that her young children were not old enough to see the abuse.

Asked how people can express opinions in a democracy without toxicity, Cllr Reilly emphasised the value of respectful debate. She said she welcomes differing views when they are expressed constructively and sees that as central to democratic representation. What she experienced online, however, was “full attack mode.”

Despite this, she said the incident has not deterred her from public life. She continues to value representing her community, hearing people’s stories and making connections at a local level.

Host Elaine Keogh noted that social media has “given a voice” to individuals who believe democracy permits cruelty towards elected representatives. An Cathaoirleach Cllr Wayne Hardin agreed, adding that online discourse can become “very nasty” for councillors.

Virgin Media Political Correspondent and Meath Chronicle political columnist Gavan Reilly reflected on the experience, describing it as reassuring that such online storms do eventually blow over. He pointed out that criticism is now unavoidable, with the internet allowing attacks to come from anywhere in the world, at any time.

He suggested that intimidation is often the goal of such behaviour, aimed at discouraging people from fulfilling their roles. “If people who represent the broad majority or middle ground are afraid to put their names on ballot papers, that’s a victory for those who want Ireland to move in a more extreme direction.”