A General Election candidate has contacted gardaí after she received a vile death threat via social media.

Fine Gael councillor Josepha Madigan has expressed her upset after being labelled a “racist c***” over a leaflet she released in her constituency on the issue of traveller sites.

The leaflet sparked controversy after it claimed that building traveller accommodation on a site in her south Dublin constituency would be "a waste of valuable resources".

In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Ms Madigan stood by her newsletter and insisted she is not “anti-traveller”.

The councillor, who is running in the Dublin-Rathdown constituency alongside fomer minister Alan Shatter, has said the land should be sold for €7m or €8m instead of used for traveller accommodation.

But Ms Madigan has now contacted gardai after receive a death threat over her remarks.

The message, posted on her Facebook page, makes disturbing threats her and her family.

“Yer a racist c***, a heartless s***e piece of sub-human, and I hope that someone will take ye out, end your miserable existence, and if they can’t get to you, they’ll find members of your family.”

Ms Madigan told independent.ie on Monday that she is confident the issue will be dealt with accordingly by gardaí.

“I have reported the online abuse on my Councillor Facebook page to the gardai. I take any threat to my life and that of my family seriously. The Gardai have told me they will investigate the matter thoroughly. I am confident that they will,” Ms Madigan said.

Several female politicians, including Labour Party senators Lorraine Higgins and Mairia Cahill, have contacted gardai over threats they have received in recent months.

Online Editors