A former mayor of Limerick was slashed with a knife outside his home at the weekend.
Mr John Ryan, a Labour councillor, was assaulted by two youths - one of whom was brandishing a knife - at around 2 a.m. on Saturday morning.
The attack on the 44-year-old local election candidate happened just days after he called on Limerick City Council to evict a number of families involved in drug dealing from a local authority housing estate.
The assault took place in the driveway of Cllr Ryan's home, which is located on the North Circular Road in Limerick.
Cllr Ryan said he was doing a check outside his home when he was assaulted by the youths. He receive a cut on the head with what appeared to be a Stanley knife.
He was treated at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.