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Childcare Assistant Ronan Shanahan was left reeling in shock after he was spat at and called a paedophile because of his choice of profession.

Ronan (23), who has been working in a Cork crèche for the past two years, was stunned after a mother of three shouted abuse at him.

He told RSVP Live: "I was walking to get my bus home and had my work T-shirt on which has the crèche logo on it.

"A young mother with three kids was walking towards me. She told me that men shouldn’t be in childcare, spat at me and called me a paedophile. I’m still in shock."

This isn’t the first time Ronan has been the victim of such remarks - he says it's actually a regular occurrence.

"I get this kind of abuse once a month," he went on.

"Maybe not as severe as that but when I tell people what my job is they reply saying 'Are you serious?'

He added: "I’m a musician as well and one night I was gigging in a bar with my girlfriend and a guy asked me where I worked.

"I told him I worked in a crèche and he replied saying 'That’s not right'.

"I asked him why, and I couldn’t believe what his reply was. He asked me would I not 'be afraid I would abuse the children'. I was stunned."

"I wonder if other men are getting the same abuse as me?”

The part-time musician didn’t always want to work in childcare - initially he wanted to train as a chef, but he found the hours too unsociable.

However about four years ago he visited a crèche next to his grandmother's home and loved the experience so much he went on to study and qualify in childcare.

"People have suggested I should train as an SNA that I might be better suited to it, but I don’t want to, I want to look after kids under five. I love my career," he said.

Ronan says his boss has been very supportive after today’s incident and doesn’t want him to leave the crèche, but after today he is seriously considering a change of career.

"I am used to being a target, but today tipped me over the edge," he explained.

"This was a woman with three kids, who looks like a normal everyday mother who went to spit on my face but luckily she missed and the saliva just got on my work T-shirt.

"I love my job but after today’s event, I may have to reconsider. I don’t know how much more I can take."